Owners of the 25th and 47th picks in the NBA Draft, the Lakers have begun working out college and international prospects ahead of selection day on June 21.
On Monday, six more players auditioned for the purple and gold at the UCLA Health Training Center.
Udoka Azubuike (C, 6’11”, 280, Kansas)
Efficiency was the heart of Azubike’s game, as the dunk-loving big man shot 77.0 percent from the field this season — the second-highest mark in NCAA history.
He averaged 13.0 points and earned Third Team All-Big 12 honors after ranking among the conference’s top 10 in rebounds (7.0) and blocks (1.7).
Keita Bates-Diop (F, 6’7”, 235, Ohio State)
A weapon in the post and on the perimeter, Bates-Diop was named Big Ten Player of the Year after leading the conference with 19.8 points per game.
The 22-year-old Second Team All-American also grabbed his league’s second-most rebounds (8.7) and was fifth in blocks (1.6).
“I’m very fluid, can do a lot of things,” Bates-Diop said. “I’m really long, so I can guard multiple positions. I like to think of myself as a versatile player.”
Rob Gray (G, 6’2”, 185, Houston)
One of the most prolific scorers in league history, Gray led the All-American Conference in scoring for both of the last two seasons (after ranking second the year before).
Last season, the Howard College transfer averaged 19.3 points and the AAC’s fifth-most assists (4.4). An efficient shooter, he also placed third in field goal percentage for all three years with the Cougars.
Jalen Hudson (G, 6’5”, 195, Florida)
Hudson only spent one year at Florida, but made his mark by becoming the first Gator to win SEC Player of the Week three times in one season.
Hudson — who also played two years at Virginia Tech — was a remarkable shooter at UF, averaging a team-high 15.5 points while hitting 40.2 percent from 3-point range.
“I feel like I can do a lot of other things other than just shoot,” Hudson said. “But I feel like that’s probably one of the things I’m better at, so I hope that it would translate and I put a lot of work in for it to translate.”
Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. (C, 7’0”, 220, Baylor)
With a traditional 7-footer skill set, Lual-Acuil ranked third in the Big 12 in rebounding last season (8.6) and fourth in blocks (1.9) after swatting the conference’s most shots the year before.
The South Sudan-born, Australia-raised senior also averaged 14.0 points on 51.4 percent shooting, and showed some shooting ability despite hitting just 31.1 percent on 3’s in his two years at Baylor.
Caleb Martin (F, 6’7”, 210, Nevada)
The Mountain West Player of the Year averaged his conference’s third-most points (18.9), and was a key factor in Nevada’s run to the Sweet Sixteen.
Martin displayed plenty of range, knocking down 100 3-pointers (second-most in the MWC) on a healthy 40.3 percent clip.
“I’m kinda known as a little bit of a scorer, so I can bring that attribute to the team,” Martin said. “One thing I really want to work on for sure is my defense so I can show people I can defend really well.”