Kansas Basketball: Malik Newman goes undrafted, rough road ahead with Lakers
By Chris Taylor
Kansas Basketball saw two of their players selected on Thursday night. Malik Newman went undrafted as an underclassman, making his journey a tough one.
Kansas Basketball left its mark on yet another NBA draft. Two former Jayhawks heard their names called on Thursday night, meaning one heard only silence.
As the final name was called, Malik Newman knew then that the road forward was going to be much harder than he had hoped. The sophomore for Bill Self’s Kansas Basketball team left school early in hopes of being drafted and getting paid.
He didn’t have to wait long. Shortly after the draft was over, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports first reported that the Los Angeles Lakers had signed Newman to a two-way contract. A two-way contract states that Newman will play 45 games in the NBA and the rest down in the d-league.
Within an hour the storyline shifted gears for Malik. This was going to become a sob story of wrong decisions. That quickly deleted itself, becoming a story of optimism. With Newman now having an NBA team in a wonderful market like Los Angeles, the sky is the limit. There will be plenty of turbulence along the way, however.
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Instead of getting drafted and locking himself in, he is now going to have to fight and scrap for what he ultimately wants. Now, he has to compete against all the other undrafted free agents. The gauntlet goes beyond that as he will be up against displaced veterans and d-league players for just a roster spot, even with the d-league team.
The good news for not only himself but the Lakers as well is that Newman has the athleticism and shooting ability to make the squad. Not only make the squad but add valuable depth, helping the Lakers become a better team.
Newman has an NBA body already. He has the talent to carry him far. As long as Malik gets through the summer league and preseason games, Lakers fans will find out for themselves soon enough.
Newman has some fine tuning he has to address, same as all rookies. It might help just a bit that he knows a familiar face in Los Angeles. His Kansas teammate and former roommate Svi Mykhailiuk was drafted by the Lakers with the 47th pick.
Here’s a look at the past season from Malik, Lakers fans. He’s coming toward a bench near you.
The Lakers are getting a solid player with Newman. He is a strong body with a good eye for the game. He’s an above-average defender with pretty good ball skills and knows how to drive to the basket. He can also help the Lakers turn around that dismal three-point percentage from last season, which was second to last in the league.
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Newman may not have been drafted, but his story changed with the signing. It’s a huge moment for both the Lakers and Malik. He might just be the steal of the undrafted guys.