Lakers interview Kentucky guard Jamal Murray at combine

The Los Angeles Lakers are continuing to move forward with their preparation for the 2016 NBA Draft. The team doesn't yet know whether or not they'll be able to retain their top-three protected first round pick or have to send it to the Philadelphia 76ers should it fall outside of the top three selections, so general manager Mitch Kupchak says the team is readying themselves to not have the pick.

Despite that mindset, the front office is still interviewing some of the top prospects at the 2016 NBA Draft combine. Rick Bozich of WDRB 41 in Louisville reports that the Lakers interviewed Jamal Murray at the combine on Wednesday night, and that the Kentucky guard "impressed" the front office (h/t to Grant Goldberg of Lakers Outsiders)

Murray averaged 20 points per game on 45.4 percent shooting (and 40.4 percent from behind the arc on just under eight attempts per game) during his one and only year in the NCAA, and Draft Express has him slated as the sixth best prospect in the draft.

As a 6'5" guard that can swing on and off the ball, Murray fits the mold of the types of guards that the Lakers front office has targeted in the last two drafts. That they have already selected Jordan Clarkson and D'Angelo Russell in thsoe last two drafts is also why it would seem unlikely they would invest another lottery pick in such a player.

Murray may have "impressed" the team, but whether or not he did enough for them to pick him far above where most have him ranked, or even if they will keep their pick, remains an open question. We won't know the answer until the draft, but the extra information is certainly interesting.

You can follow this author on Twitter at @hmfaigen.