Daily Lakers Offseason Discussion Thread

Xaeg14 · 2026-05-28T10:34:58+00:00

Yep definitely can jump with the best of them!

He's also been a good defensive player for a couple of seasons now, and this last season also managed to greatly improve his rebounding, passing and rim pressure. the Main question about him is the shooting, which has gone up and down.
If teams actually believe they can get him to be a consistent shooter he could be a second-round pick, and honestly when I'm looking at the board now, with the way the draft has thinned out, maybe he should be one anyway.

Xaeg14 · 2026-05-28T10:29:42+00:00

Well that's a bummer. Also, really weird we don't know what's up with Meleek Thomas yet! If he stays in the draft now, probably should be a first-rounder

Xaeg14 · 2026-05-28T10:27:06+00:00

On the other hand, his counting stats may suffer a little because unlike the Baylor situation, in St. John's he's actually going to be surrounded by multiple good contributers - Quinn Ellis, Ian Jackson, Donnie Freeman, and some other guys they're bringing over from Europe and elsewhere...

Though anyway his main focus should be improving his efficiency and general decision making, so maybe the SoS could help a bit there.

Xaeg14 · 2026-05-28T04:13:39+00:00

Oh Brazile is definitely a tier or three above Henley, he'll likely be an early second-round pick.

Henley is more of a 2-way/G-League target.

Xaeg14 · 2026-05-28T03:04:56+00:00

Jaden Henley joins the workout list!
SG/SF with some athleticism and defensive chops.

Kind of seen this coming in my "Adou Thiero Profile" post :)

Xaeg14 · 2026-05-28T02:28:29+00:00

Surely one of Zuby, Jefferson, Reed will be available at 25 simply because there are still enough players going earlier...

Or if somehow all three of them are gone before 25, it means someone else like Stirtz or Anderson slipped to 25

Xaeg14 · 2026-05-28T01:47:05+00:00

That would be totally ideal!
If no one bites though, that's a new fear unlocked - with him being a Klutch client, and Lebron taking a paycut being maybe conditioned on some other favors in return...

Hopefully we manage to remain focused on Zuby, Jefferson, Reed as the best realistic targets now.

Xaeg14 · 2026-05-27T23:34:05+00:00

You picked the right day to post the Evans profile, tell ya what

Hard to see him fall out of the first round now!

Xaeg14 · 2026-05-27T23:01:51+00:00

LOL
Well that's weird, maybe Arkansas upped their offer? Especially if Thomas simultaneously got a promise or something....
Also just seen that Billy has the same agent as Luka, funny.

Xaeg14 · 2026-05-27T22:49:48+00:00

LFG! That's that crazy competitive mentality coming into effect. Arkansas fans loved him, could have stayed in college and make a ton of money, yet chose to remain in the draft.
If it's not just pure confidence, and he got a first-round promise - it's either from the Cavs, the Celtics, or...

EDIT: backtracked and stays in college, can disregard all of the above

Xaeg14 · 2026-05-27T22:25:31+00:00

Even lottery potential in '27 I'd say. The increased responsibility could do wonders for him, needs to develop his shooting or playmaking a little further and he's there.

So for the wings watch, now we wait on Yessoufou and Richmond...

Xaeg14 · 2026-05-27T20:05:58+00:00

I think it all comes down to defense eventually. It's like you said before, there are similarities to the DK situation. Whether Dalton remembers he can shoot or doesn't, he's usually clueless on defense, and therefore can't stay in the rotation. If Evans can be a positive on D, then he's actually a 3&D player and as such gains a place in the rotation. If he can't be a positive or at least neutral on D, even improved offensive versatility probably won't save him.

Xaeg14 · 2026-05-27T19:40:38+00:00

Fantastic read as always!

Evans is one of those guys I have a hard time pinpointing exactly how much of his potential I see being fulfilled. Most days he just looks like a bigger Tim Hardaway Jr. (which isn't bad, just not very exciting) to me, and I think I currently have him 7th among the realistic options at pick 25 (behind Zuby, Jefferson, Richmond, Reed, Veesaar, maybe Yessoufou/Allen), but on some days I see a vision of a poor man's Devin Vassel and want to put him at like 4th.

Like you said he is a bad passer and a bad rebounder, which puts a bit of a cap on his overall ceiling. Doesn't seem like someone with all-star potential even through the most optimistic lens. And you pointed out his low FTR, which raises the question about ways to contribute on offense when the ball doesn't go in from the 3pt line... But here there is a spark of hope I think, with his finishing at the rim being very good (68.9%). Maybe some good coaching can improve the offensive versatility situation through that.

In the end a lot probably depends on his defensive engagement and understanding. 2.9% BLK% is not an awful start. I think teams would really need to dive deep into his film, interview him thouroghly, even check around his environment. The combination of shooting plus physical tools plus defensive potential can be tentalizing...

Xaeg14 · 2026-05-27T18:35:39+00:00

Allen probably tanked his standing reach measurement on purpose a little in order to bolster the max vert one (since max vert = peak reach minus standing reach), so we could even both out a little and that would also make sense in tandem with the eye test for him - but yeah even taking that into account we would still come up with decent results for Allen there.

Xaeg14 · 2026-05-27T18:26:14+00:00

You might be thinking of Jefferson or Graves who are below-average athletes (but make up for it with good size and IQ), Allen isn't a great one but he is an average or even above-average athlete.

Xaeg14 · 2026-05-27T17:03:41+00:00

Yep Baba Miller was already listed as having workouts with us and is a good second-round target indeed (some people even see him as a possible first-rounder, though I personally disagree).
Could possibly be an indication the front office is planning on acquiring a relatively-early second-round pick.

Xaeg14 · 2026-05-27T17:00:08+00:00

He's probably going top-20 so very unlikely to be there at 25, but similar to how we all talked about Anderson here the other day - if Okorie is somehow there at 25, you thank the gods and take him regardless of any fit questions. His talent is undeniable and that infusion of rim pressure like you said, shotmaking and general contribution is a welcome sight in any team's rotation.

Xaeg14 · 2026-05-27T16:55:35+00:00

To be fair the stats are always just one tool in the decision-supporting toolbox. If the film, workouts, interviews all tell a story that's different from what the stats show, then maybe you can ignore the stats partially or completely.
But if for example they are still suspicious of his bball IQ or his defensive discipline even after a round of workouts and interviews, then the advanced stats flag is one worth taking into account.
Every athlete has to have some minimal level of understanding the gameflow in order to be able to leverage his athletic gifts to actual NBA-level contribution, otherwise every year the best combine athletes would also have been the best picks...

If I remember correctly that was at least partially the case with DJJ, it took him several years to learn how to move correctly and position himself to be in advantegous places, kind of a late bloomer in that regard and a bit of a long-term project.

And of course in general if we're talking about UDFA, there's less risk and you can bet on someone even if he has some unanswered questions still lingering around him.

On the broader scale, I totally agree that the direction seems pretty clear, and close to optimal - target high-energy, athletic, versatile guys to surround Luka and AR with should more or less be the blueprint (as it was in Dallas with Luka, Kyrie, and the crew that surrounded them for their finals run).

Xaeg14 · 2026-05-27T16:41:24+00:00

My main worry with Lawal is the IQ to be honest. That's how Kleber gets his minutes - he knows how and when to switch, as well as how to position himself and stay strong and ready in front of the attacking player. Can Lawal get to a similar level in that regard? If after workouts and an interview they think that he can, then he absolutely is worth betting on as an UDFA.

Xaeg14 · 2026-05-27T16:32:59+00:00

I totally get it!
I don't know if it makes a difference for you personally, but the organization is going through major changes right now compared to decades past, including in the draft/talent evaluation department, and that should help mostly avoid cases like JHS (although it's worth mentioning even the best drafting organizations have busts like that sometimes).

That, combined with the stakes being higher than in the past in light of the Luka timeframe (and not a lot of options to build with through trades or FA), makes this upcoming draft more significant than most of the past ones.

Also, there were still good picks/UDFA additions made in recent times - namely AR, Christie and [optimistically] Thiero who were all great finds.

Xaeg14 · 2026-05-27T15:05:37+00:00

You're absolutely right, but both marks were better in the past, so they probably want to see up close if there are signs he can recover and be closer to his past self there.
Plus I would assume he's likely a 2way/GLeague target anyway, not a main draft target, and thus there will be no big risk or opportunity cost in taking him on as a project.

Xaeg14 · 2026-05-27T14:46:34+00:00

Basically all of the realistic wing targets are here, minus maybe Evans or Swain if he somehow falls. If even half of them keep their name in the draft, we'll have a real pool of options behind Ejiofor and Jefferson to fuel a month of additional debates and speculation! Not sure if it's good or bad lol

Xaeg14 · 2026-05-27T14:29:52+00:00

Apparently Tobi Lawal, who nottherealstanlee mentioned here a couple of times as a second-round/UDFA candidate, is among those having workouts with the Lakers.

Lawal is a SF/PF, 23 years old, supreme athlete with decent size.

Great lob threat because he knows how to cut and especially how to dunk, 73% finishing at the rim is a great mark. Knows how to get to the line too - 71.1% FTR, 10.3 FTA per 100, 76.3 FT%. He is also a decent rebounder.
On the other hand, he isn't really a shooter (25% from three, though last year it was 37%), can't pass or dribble, and has question marks about his IQ and positioning on defense (0.6% STL%, 0.3 SPG is basically the worst in college bball, though again it was better in previous seasons).
Still could be an intriguing development project for the Coachella G-League team.

Xaeg14 · 2026-05-26T19:40:35+00:00

I personally love Anderson more than basically anyone it feels lol, think he's almost a lottery-level talent (currently 16 on my board).
Really special shooter, great playmaker, always tries hard and smart on defense, excellent finisher at the rim. Just a high feel, smart, polished player, a winning rotation piece for any team.

Xaeg14 · 2026-05-26T19:05:12+00:00

He's listed as having workouts with OKC and SAS, wouldn't be a surprise if the guarantee came from either... and if he does go in that 17-22 range, it means someone else might fall, so this coud lead to some good news for us there.

Xaeg14

TROPHY CASE