2025 Lakers draft prospects: CJ Huntley
The Los Angeles Lakers badly need to upgrade at the center position this summer. While it is expected that they will look to trade for a center or possibly seek one in free agency, there is always the chance they find one for the future in the NBA draft later this month.
They will have the No. 55 pick, and while a pick that deep in the draft rarely yields a rotation player, the Lakers have had success in recent years with players who were taken in the second round.
On Tuesday, CJ Huntley, a big man from Appalachian State University in North Carolina, reportedly worked out for the Lakers.
Huntley, who is 6-foot-11, averaged 15.7 points and 8.1 rebounds a game while shooting 49.3% from the field this past season as a fifth-year senior. He dramatically improved his scoring average, as it was the first time in his college career he had gotten into doubles figures in scoring for a full season.
He isn't an elite athlete, but he's solid in that department, and he has a 7-foot-4 wingspan. His strong suit at this point appears to be his ability to score. He's a decent scoring option in the low post, and he hit 35.6% of his 3.8 3-point attempts a game during the 2024-25 campaign.
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He isn't an overpowering rebounder or a great rim protector, but he plays with plenty of energy, so he could have some real potential in both of those departments. But at this point, he's considered a bit behind on the developmental curve, and he could be a project player at the next level.
Still, he can play both the 4 and 5, and perhaps he would be someone worth taking a flyer on with the No. 55 pick.
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