With D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Lonnie Walker IV and Dennis Schroder all about to become free agents, the Los Angeles Lakers have a good chance of losing some key guard depth.
Retaining all four will be very difficult, if not nearly impossible. Even keeping two of them won’t be easy, which means the Lakers could be in the market for at least one replacement in the backcourt.
With the No. 17 and No. 47 picks in the upcoming 2023 NBA Draft at its disposal, Los Angeles could replenish at least some of its backcourt and/or wing depth in a hurry and at a low price.
One guard prospect they recently worked out is D’Moi Hodge.
Hodge has 3-and-D potential
Hodge stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 190 pounds, which makes him a little bit on the bigger side for a guard, although he hardly has elite size. But he has developed a reputation as something of a defensive stalwart.
He can pressure opposing ball-handlers as they bring the ball upcourt and set up their team’s offense. He is also adept at getting steals and occasionally even blocking shots.
Hodge averaged 2.6 steals per game for the University of Missouri this past season. The two seasons prior to that, he played at Cleveland State University, where he came up with 2.2 steals per contest during the 2021-22 campaign and 1.7 steals a game the year before.
Offensively, Hodge has shown great improvement with his 3-point shooting, going from 29.9 percent two seasons ago to 40.0 percent this past season. He is adept in catch-and-shoot situations, and he can also create his own shot off the dribble a bit, but he may not have advanced skills in that department.
Overall, he put up 14.7 points a game during the 2022-23 season for the Tigers.
Hodge could go in the second round of the draft, but he’s probably more likely to end up undrafted.
