The Los Angeles Lakers will look to add some inexpensive talent to their roster later this month when they will pick at No. 17 and No. 47 in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Most consider their biggest needs to be a 3-and-D wing, overall 3-point shooting and depth at center. However, there is a chance they will lose point guards D’Angelo Russell and Dennis Schroder in free agency this summer, and if one or both depart, another point guard would also become a need.
Among the draft prospects the Lakers have worked out lately is Tyger Campbell, a point guard from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Campbell is small but intriguing
Campbell, a native of Indiana, is just 5-foot-11 and weighs 180 pounds, which will likely put him at a disadvantage in the NBA. His outside shooting needs some work, as he shot 41.0 percent from 3-point range in the 2021-22 season but just 33.8 percent this season, and his defense is a concern because of his modest stature.
However, Campbell is considered one of the better floor generals and playmakers in college basketball. In four years at UCLA, he averaged 4.9 assists and just 1.6 turnovers a game.
Although he’s a questionable outside shooter, his free throw shooting is rock solid. This year he made 85.6 percent of his foul shots while getting 3.2 attempts per game, which consisted of a decent chunk of his overall possessions.
Campbell may not be elite in this area, but he is pretty speedy, which helps him somewhat make up for his lack of size. He is 23 years of age, making him the type of older, more developed prospect the Lakers seem to prefer later in the draft, and he has led UCLA to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three years, including a Final Four appearance in 2021.
Campbell has a chance to get drafted in the second round, but he may also go undrafted. In either case, he could be a decent G League developmental prospect for the Lakers.
