:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63861163/usa_today_11458760.0.jpg)
The 2019 NBA Draft Combine took place at the Quest Multisport in Chicago earlier this week, where teams like the Los Angeles Lakers got to meet face-to-face with NBA Draft hopefuls ahead of the draft on June 20.
The Lakers have already started to interview candidates for their No. 4 pick like Duke’s Cam Reddish, who they met on Thursday, but they’ve also spoken to players that are expected to be available in the early second round. According to Alex Schiffer of The Kansas City Star, Los Angeles met with Missouri standout Jontay Porter on Friday.
Jontay Porter said he’s met with 13 teams at the NBA Combine so far. Listed the Lakers, Knicks, Nets and Bucks as teams he’s met with today.
— Alex Schiffer (@TheSchiffMan) May 17, 2019
Jontay Porter, the younger brother of Denver Nuggets rookie Michael Porter Jr., went through the pre-draft process last year and many expected him to be a first-round pick — if not a lottery pick — because of his unique combination of shooting and passing at the center position. However, Jontay decided to return to Missouri for another year and try to raise his draft stock. Unfortunately, things didn’t quite go to plan for Jontay.
Over the last year, the 19-year-old center has torn his ACL twice and for that reason, he sat out the entirety of his sophomore season with the Tigers. Still, he showed enough in his freshman season to get another look in this year’s draft and he helped his chances of getting draft at this year’s combine.
One of the biggest concerns with Jontay last year was his conditioning. At least year’s combine, he had a body fat percentage of 13.85 percent, which was the highest of anyone that got measured at the combine. This year, he dropped to 8.5 percent.
While that alone might not be enough for him fly up draft boards, it’s a promising start for a tantalizing prospect with a ton of upside. Should Porter fall to the mid-40s in draft, the Lakers should seriously consider buying into the second round.
For an in-depth look at would Jontay would bring to the Lakers, check out the profile Silver Screen and Roll’s own Alex Regla did on the 6’10” center leading up to last year’s draft here.
For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. You can follow Christian on Twitter at @RadRivas.