2023 Lakers draft prospect profile: Kihei Clark
With the 2023 NBA Draft less than a month away, LeBron Wire will be taking a look at a number of draft prospects the Los Angeles Lakers bring in for a workout.
Unlike last year, the team will have a first-round draft pick at No. 17 by virtue of finishing with a better record than the New Orleans Pelicans. Per the terms of 2019’s Anthony Davis trade, the Pelicans had the right to swap first-round picks with the Lakers this year. But since L.A.’s pick was lower, it will remain put at No. 17, while New Orleans will select at No. 14.
In addition, the Lakers will have a second-round choice at No. 47.
They have started to bring in prospects for workouts, and one of them is University of Virginia guard Kihei Clark.
Kihei is undersized, but intriguing
Kihei is just 5-foot-10 and about 170 pounds, which is an immediate red flag in the NBA, where average-sized men simply don’t fare well, at least not usually. However, there seems to be a glimmer of potential within him.
His offensive numbers do look rather poor. He averaged just 8.9 points per game in five seasons with the Virginia Cavaliers, and he shot just 38.6 percent overall and 34.9 percent from 3-point range. Some scouts have hope that once he leaves the Cavaliers’ slowdown, constrained offense and enters the up-tempo environment of today’s NBA, he may spread his wings and increase his production a bit.
The big concern with a player as small as Kihei is the defensive end. But what he lacked in size, he made up for with quickness and active hands. It was enough for him to be named to the ACC All-Defensive Team this season.
Kihei did end up as the all-time leader in wins in ACC history, and he did play on a national championship team as a freshman. It also should be noted that he grew up in Woodland Hills, Calif. and went to William Howard Taft Charter High School, which is the same school that former Laker point guard Jordan Farmar attended.
