The Los Angeles Lakers brought in one final group of prospects ahead of the 2022 NBA Draft. Shareef O'Neal, the son of franchise legend Shaquille O'Neal, was among the participants.
The Athletic reported earlier this month that Shareef would work out for the Lakers, but it remained TBD when that would take place until the team made the announcement on Tuesday morning. O'Neal will be joined at the UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo by Jordan Hall (St. Joseph's), Orlando Robinson (Fresno State), Kyler Edwards (Houston), Isaiah Whaley (UConn), and Cole Swider (Syracuse), who is working out for the Lakers for a second time.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7LKKen7rCcxI6vMw6PY77d?si=7547559a834f40b7
Like his father, Shareef is a big man from LSU. However, Shareef does not carry the same expectations as his Hall of Famer father, who was the consensus No. 1 overall pick in 1992.
Shareef — a Santa Monica native — was a four-star prospect out of high school and committed to UCLA, but a scary heart condition limited him to 13 games with the Bruins. He transferred to the SEC after one season in Westwood, but his time in Baton Rouge was plagued by injuries. Overall, Shareef averaged 2.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 0.4 blocks with .405/.208/.480 splits in 11.0 minutes per game across three seasons.
O'Neal is listed at 6'10, 220 pounds with a 7'0 wingspan. He's an explosive, rangy athlete with a high defensive ceiling, but has yet to consistently put it all together. He's too lean to bang with bigs in the NBA and needs to dramatically improve his outside shooting.
Shareef has also visited the Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, and Washington Wizards. At the moment, there's no guarantee O'Neal will be selected in the draft.
The Lakers don't currently own a pick but are reportedly planning on trading back into the second round, as they did in 2019 when they selected Talen Horton-Tucker. Los Angeles is also expected to seek undrafted free agents, a route that led them to Austin Reaves in 2021.
Follow Us
Subscribe