D’Angelo Russell
Well before the Lakers plan to watch Ohio State point guard D’Angelo Russell in an individual workout on Monday afternoon, the organization expressed interest in another way.
The Lakers took Russell out to dinner. The team’s Twitter account posted a photo of the 6-foot-5, 180-pound freshman along with Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak and assistant general manager Glen Carraro. The rest of the Lakers’ basketball operations staff were there, including Jesse Buss (director of scouting), Ryan West (assistant director of scouting), Jordan Wilkes (basketball operations assistant), Rondre Jackson (director of player development) and Kevin Grevey (college scout).
The Lakers also provided the same treatment to Emmanuel Mudiay, who dined with the team’s basketball operations staff on Friday night before completing an individual workout on Saturday morning.
NBA mock drafts pin Mudiay and Russell as the best point guards in this year’s class and are competing for the top spots against big men Kentucky’s Karl Anthony-Towns and Duke’s Jahlil Okafor. While Russell averaged 19.3 points on 44.9 percent shooting and five assists with the Buckeyes, Mudiay posted 17.7 points on 54.5-percent shooting, 6.0 rebounds and 5.1 assists with the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association.
Most NBA talent evaluators consider Russell a more polished shooter, while Mudiay is considered superior with his quickness and athleticism.
The Lakers will also host workouts on Monday morning for six prospects slated for their 27th and 34th draft picks.
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