Ahead of the 2023 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers faithful have been pleading with the team to draft European draft prospect James Nnaji.
“Lakers won’t find a more talented center with these physical gifts via the free agent market. I REPEAT!!!! @Lakers DO NOT LEAVE JAMES NNAJI ON THE DRAFT BOARD PAST 17!!!”
Lakers won’t find a more talented center with these physical gifts via the free agent market. I REPEAT!!!! @Lakers DO NOT LEAVE JAMES NNAJI ON THE DRAFT BOARD PAST 17!!! pic.twitter.com/NFC8eLI7DF
— 🏆LakersGuru🏆 (@GuruLakers) June 21, 2023
At 6’10”, the Nigerian center who plays for FC Barcelona in the Spanish Liga ACB has quite an interesting scouting report. Sports Illustrated compared him to Jalen Duren in their report calling him a Late First – Early Second Round pick in the upcoming draft.
Here’s a detailed report from the site:
“James Nnaji has established himself as one of the top international prospects for the 2023 NBA Draft. Although he only played limited minutes on a deep, veteran team, he did at least get some “real” minutes and often had a significant impact, even against Euroleague competition. His game may be limited but it should translate well to the NBA level.”
As far as the numbers go, Nnaji didn’t see a lot of playing time during the 2022-23 Liga ACB season. He averaged just 12.1 minutes played over 27 games and propped up 14.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per 36 minutes. Overall, he averaged 4.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in the regular season.
The report pointed out enough pros and cons that the Lakers will consider when they look at Nnaji’s profile. His long arms and muscled frame are a plus for his energy levels. He’s athletic at the rim and is promising on the defensive end. On the cons, he has a limited scoring ability and his low post-game needs to be upped.
In all, the fans see a big man who could help Anthony Davis. One of the lack of options the team had last season was a center who could fill in the non-AD minutes. While the likes of Tristan Thompson, Mo Bamba, and Wenyen Gabriel were looked at as fillers, they didn’t do much on the offensive end, and that’s where Nnaji comes into the picture.
The Lakers Have Secretly Worked Out A String Of First-Round Picks
Ahead of the 2023 NBA Draft, reports of the Lakers working out a bunch of their first-round picks emerged. Jett Howard, Jamie Jaquez Jr., and Jalen Hood-Schifino were some of the names that the team reportedly worked out. Earlier, the team also worked out five-year college veteran Jamarius Burton.
NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported the development. “Jamarius Burton – who was an All-ACC 1st team guard for Pitt – will work out for the Lakers this week, a source told ESPN. The five-year collegiate vet, who also had stints at Wichita State and Texas Tech, has also worked out for the Bucks and Grizzlies.”
The next few days will all be about the NBA 2023 Draft and while the big names in the top 3 garner the headlines, it’s interesting to see how teams like the Lakers fare and see who they keep an eye on.
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