The NBA Draft is just over a week away and teams are busy get last-minute workouts in with prospects before setting their plans. Jahlil Okafor and Karl-Anthony Towns are projected to be the top two picks coming off the board, but could the Los Angeles Lakers shake things up by going a different direction?
According to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, the Lakers have scheduled a second workout with point guard Emmanuel Mudiay heading into the draft. They hope to do the same with both D'Angelo Russell and Jahlil Okafor before the draft. They will not be getting in a workout with Karl-Anthony Towns as he is projected to be the No.1 overall pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The extended interest in Mudiay brings into question whether or not the Lakers favor the point guard over Okafor. Medina writes there is plenty of upside to Mudiay who has been playing under NBA rules overseas.
If the Lakers were to select Mudiay with the No.2 pick it would mean their point guard rotation is very young heading into 2015. Los Angeles capitalized off the rise of Jordan Clarkson last season as he is expected to replace both Steve Nash and Jeremy Lin. Head coach Byron Scott told ESPN that he is not ready to hand the reigns of the offense over to Clarkson just yet which means Mudiay could be favored more than originally assumed.
The 76ers are also making sure they get in extended looks with other players. ESPN's Chad Ford believes Philadelphia will select a point guard at No.3, but the team is giving a serious look at Kristaps Porzingis. According to Ford, the 76ers are seriously considering the big man after the recent injury setback to Joel Embiid. The 76ers originally believed Embiid would be the start in 2015, but Ford is reporting that because he is at risk of missing another full season, Porzingis is a target.
This could favor the New York Knicks. The New York Daily News is reporting that team president Phil Jackson favors either Okafor or Towns and if either of them are unavailable at No.4 then he will likely attempt to trade the draft pick and move down the board. The Knicks have been clear in saying they need an elite defender on the roster and Towns or Okafor are considered just that. There is lingering doubt as to whether Porzingis or Justise Winslow are worth the No.4 pick which is causing New York to think about a trade.
If the Lakers shake up the draft and select Mudiay, it is hard to see the 76ers passing on Okafor regardless of how talented they think Porzingis is. The Knicks could be left considering a point guard at No.4 instead.
