With the 2023 NBA draft less than a month away, LeBron Wire is taking a look at a number of draft prospects the Los Angeles Lakers bring in for a workout.
Unlike last year, the team will have a first-round draft pick (No. 17) by virtue of finishing with a better record than the New Orleans Pelicans. Per the terms of 2019’s Anthony Davis trade, the Pelicans had the right to swap first-round picks with the Lakers this year. Since L.A.’s pick was lower, it will remain put at No. 17, while New Orleans will select at No. 14.
In addition, the Lakers will have a second-round choice at No. 47.
They have started to bring in prospects for workouts, and one of them is University of Virginia guard Kihei Clark.
Kihei is undersized, but intriguing
Kihei is 5-foot-10 and about 170 pounds, which is an immediate red flag in the NBA, where average-sized men simply don’t fare well, at least not usually. However, there seems to be a glimmer of potential within him.
His offensive numbers look rather poor. He averaged 8.9 points per game in five seasons with the Virginia Cavaliers, and he shot 38.6% overall and 34.9% from 3-point range. Some scouts hope that once he leaves the Cavaliers’ slow-down, constrained offense and enters the up-tempo environment of today’s NBA, he may spread his wings and increase his production.
The big concern with a player as small as Kihei is the defensive end. But what he lacked in size, he made up for with quickness and active hands. It was enough for him to be named to the ACC All-Defensive team this season.
Kihei ended up as the all-time leader in wins in ACC history, and he played on a national championship team as a freshman. It also should be noted that he grew up in Woodland Hills, California, and went to William Howard Taft Charter High School, which is the same school former Laker point guard Jordan Farmar attended.
