UPDATE 6/9 (4:19 PM PT): According to Mike Bresnahan of the LA Times, the Lakers will also be working out Cal forward Jaylen Brown, another lottery prospect:
Cal's Jaylen Brown, Kentucky's Skal Labisierre working out for Lakers tomorrow.
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) June 9, 2016
While many have been locked in on the Los Angeles Lakers selecting Brandon Ingram with their second overall pick, the Lakers themselves have been hard at work doing their homework on a number of different prospects.
Barring some last minute change-up, Ingram will be the pick assuming Ben Simmons is taken first overall. However, with so many possibilities before, during, and after the NBA Draft, the Lakers getting familiar with all of the top prospects makes a ton of sense. One of the most polarizing is Kentucky big man Skal Labissiere.
Though Labissiere had something of a disappointing freshman year at Kentucky, the big man is still extremely talented, and the Lakers will be bringing him in for a workout according to Bill Oram of the OC Register:
Kentucky big man Skal Labissiere told Phoenix media today that his next workout will be with the Lakers next week.
— Bill Oram (@billoram) June 8, 2016
Coming into the season, Labissiere was viewed, along with Simmons, as the top prospects in this draft. Unfortunately, Labissiere struggled throughout the season as he severely lacked the strength to battle down low and garnered a lot of criticism from both fans and the media.
Nonetheless, the tools that made him a top prospect coming into the year are still there. He is just under seven feet tall with a 7’2 wingspan and moves very well for his size, fitting into the mold of mobile big men needed in today’s NBA. He is also an outstanding jump shooter, and his length makes him an excellent rim protector on the defensive end.
Labissiere is surely not being considered for the second overall pick. This is just another case of the Lakers getting familiar with all potential prospects and Labissiere’s talent makes him an intriguing one.
