The Los Angeles Lakers hosted Arkansas guard Meleek Thomas for a pre-draft exercise this week, evaluating a fringe choice projected to be out there close to their first-round choice at No. 25 general, in response to Evan Sidery.
Thomas is a part of the Lakers’ broader draft course of as they weigh rotation depth round a longtime core led by Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Thomas, a 2025–26 SEC freshman, averaged 15.6 factors throughout 37 video games whereas capturing 43.5% from the sphere and 41.6% from three on 5.3 makes an attempt per sport. He logged 30.5 minutes per contest and posted 2.5 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.5 steals, combining perimeter scoring effectivity with secondary playmaking and defensive exercise.
His scoring profile is anchored by motion capturing and catch-and-shoot effectivity, with 2.2 made threes per sport accounting for a major share of his manufacturing. Thomas additionally transformed 84.3% on the free-throw line, supporting the capturing indicators that made him a viable late-first-round analysis for groups in search of spacing with out heavy utilization calls for.
The Lakers enter the draft holding the No. 25 decide after ending the 2025–26 common season 53–29 and advancing to the Western Convention semifinals. Los Angeles relied closely on a top-heavy offensive construction, with Doncic averaging 33.5 factors and eight.3 assists in 35.8 minutes per sport, whereas Reaves added 23.3 factors and 5.5 assists throughout 51 appearances.
Thomas’ position at Arkansas featured on-ball reps in secondary actions reasonably than full-time initiation duties, with 2.5 assists per sport and a 1.0 turnover common indicating managed decision-making inside structured offense. His 1.5 steals per sport additionally replicate defensive disruption in passing lanes, although his 0.2 blocks and modest rebounding numbers counsel a guard-oriented defensive affect profile.
The pre-draft exercise comes as Los Angeles continues to judge rotational price effectivity. Reaves’ subsequent contract is anticipated to exceed $40 million yearly, tightening long-term roster flexibility and rising the significance of managed rookie-scale contributors.
