The Los Angeles Lakers "should take" Kristaps Porzingis if the Minnesota Timberwolves select Karl-Anthony Towns first overall, according to ESPN NBA Insider and NBA Draft expert Chad Ford. Minnesota has been recently rumored to "no doubt" select Towns, leaving the Lakers with the opportunity to draft Jahlil Okafor out of Duke. The Lakers front office are "locked in" on taking Okafor second overall, according to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, meaning they would pass over Porzingis with their second overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.
Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss led a large Lakers contingent to observe Porzingis pre-draft workout for NBA executives in Las Vegas on Friday, where the Latvian teen revealed that the Lakers were his favorite team growing up. Porzingis' draft stock has been rapidly rising of late, with Draft Express recently projecting him to go third overall to the Philadelphia 76ers and one anonymous scout saying "he's better than Karl Towns." It is easy to see why the hype machine for Porzingis has kicked into overdrive, as his workout demonstrated his impressive skills for a seven-footer:
Still, with Porzingis' wiry frame making it unlikely he could carry the bulk necessary to play alongside the team's most recent lottery pick, Julius Randle, the Lakers selecting Porzingis second overall seems unlikely, despite a Saturday morning report from ESPN's Marc Stein that the team is "pondering" selecting the 19-year old with the team's highest lottery pick since selecting James Worthy first overall in 1982. The NBA Draft takes place on June 25th, and until then, the Lakers are probably pondering a handful of players second overall as they continue to work out prospects in preparation for the draft.