Lakers Sign Block-Happy Big Man to Deal After Draft

The NBA Draft was less eventful than some had predicted for the Los Angeles Lakers but the team still added some key pieces to the roster before the night was over.

The Lakers drafted Jalen Hood-Schifino at No. 17 and added Pepperdine wing Maxwell Lewis in the second round. But the Lakers remained active after the draft wrapped up, signing Florida center Colin Castleton to a two-way contract, per Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times.

Castleton was one of the most experienced players available with five college seasons under his belt. Castleton comes in at 6-foot-11 and 231 pounds and can provide some depth for the Lakers on their backline with some uncertainty stewing. He averaged 14.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in 78 games during his college career at Florida and Michigan.

Here’s what RotoWire had to say about Castleton in his draft profile:

Despite standing 6-foot-11 with a 7-foot-4 wingspan at 230 pounds, Castleton is a fluid and agile big. A gifted one-on-one shot blocker and a skilled team defender, he represented a critical defensive anchor throughout his time at Florida. His excellent reach allows him to contest shots everywhere on the floor, but his comparatively slow speed makes him more of a containment and drop-coverage big when not hovering in the paint. Offensively, Castleton operated primarily as a post-up big and roll man. He took 57.9 % of his shots at the rim.

The Lakers also signed Missouri guard D’Moi Hodge to a two-way deal and inked Alex Fudge to an Exhibit-10 contract.

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Jalen Hood-Schifino Excited to be a Laker

There was a lot of talk about the Lakers trading their No. 17 pick for a veteran player but they stood pat, drafting Hood-Schifino. He played one year at Indiana, averaging 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists.

Hood-Schifino is pumped to sport the purple and gold of the Lakers, citing his admiration of Kobe Bryant.

“The Lakers were the first team I worked out for. Great visit, great workout, great meeting,” Hood-Schifino said after being selected. “Just hearing my name called by the Lakers was kinda crazy, because I’ve always been a Kobe fan. It was a full circle moment for me.”

During his visit with the Lakers, Hood-Schifino was asked who he’d like to have lunch with from anybody throughout history. The 20-year-old responded with Kobe Bryant.

“His Mamba Mentality is a code he has lived by,” Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said. “You could tell he didn’t throw that out because it was a Lakers interview; it felt from the heart.”

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Lakers Still Focused on Building Championship Roster

The work is not done for the Lakers, who still have a bevy of roster decisions to make before the start of the year.

“The end goal is for us to put a championship-level product on the court,” Pelinka said. “Sometimes you can’t make all of your moves in one fell swoop but we’re really excited about how the draft panned out”

It sounded like the Lakers were at least investigating a move prior to making their first-round selection. Jovan Buha of The Atheltic reported that the Lakers were talking to the Nets about potentially trading back, which could have included a veteran player like Dorian Finney-Smith or Royce O’Neale.

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