Report: The Los Angeles Lakers Have ‘Locked In’ On Jahlil Okafor

In his latest mock draft, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated has an interesting tidbit regarding the Los Angeles Lakers and likely Lottery pick, Jahlil Okafor:

The Lakers are going through the motions with other draft prospects—D’Angelo Russell and Emmanuel Mudiay have been in for workouts—but multiple league sources say L.A. is locked in on Okafor.

This is a change from earlier reports, which said the Lakers were not yet locked in on drafting either Okafor or Towns. That they’ve changed course is expected, given the natural progression of the draft process. Mudiay probably has the most upside of the bunch, but he’s also a huge risk, especially for a franchise not known for developing talent. Russell is an electric passer, and could be a star, but Okafor is already much more polished. That aspect is probably one of the most attractive ones for the Lakers, who want to return to title contention as soon as possible. Okafor already has an endorsement from one Laker legend:

While there are very strong questions about his defense, Okafor’s advanced offensive skillset makes him an impact player from day one, while still providing plenty of room to grow. He’s probably not the heir apparent to Kobe Bryant, both in terms of his star power and his marketability, but he’s at tremendous building block for a franchise in desperate need of one.

(Sports Illustrated)

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