Lakers News: LA Prospect Believes Nikola Jokic's Rise Is Improving His Own Draft Stock
We're just two short days away from the 2023 NBA Draft, and the Los Angeles Lakers are wrapping up their prospect workouts ahead of the league's annual selection committee.
The Lakers brought in Gonzaga big man Drew Timme for a workout on Monday, and the decorated collegian thanked Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic for making him look more attractive to NBA teams ahead of the draft, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
Jokic was already a two-time Most Valuable Player coming into this season's playoffs, but what he did to lead the Denver Nuggets to an NBA title firmly put him as a household name.
Just as a quick refresher of Jokic's game though, although he certainly wouldn't be described as athletic, his superb floor vision, touch from deep, and dominance on the glass made him arguably the best big in the league and a matchup nightmare around the league.
Not to say that Timme will turn out to be Jokic, but he plays a similar style to the NBA Finals MVP.
Throughout his time at Gonzaga, Timme turned himself into one of the best players in college basketball as he was able to dominate on the boards and space the floor from three while becoming earning All-American honors three times.
He was able to pass out of the post very effectively as well, a trait that helped make Gonzaga one of the best offenses in the nation.
All in all, Timme has quite a few abilities in common with Jokic, and the Gonzaga big has seen his draft stock throughout the process.
He's moved from a player that definitely wouldn't hear his name called on draft night to one who may hear his name called late in the second round.
Nothing's a guarantee around the draft, but Timme would be an intriguing developmental prospect for the Lakers and other NBA teams.
If nothing else, he certainly has a solid foundation to build on and Nikola Jokic -- the 41st overall pick in 2014 -- has certainly proven that a player with Timme's skill set can be an asset in the league.
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