Robert Upshaw had a lot of question marks entering the draft, but there was no doubting his potential. He was one of the top shot-blockers in college basketball, and has tremendous size for a young center. However, he has struggled with off-the-court issues and concerns about injuries resulted in him going undrafted. The Los Angeles Lakers were able to add him to their summer league roster, and although they currently have a lot of youth, Upshaw could be a very valuable pick up for them.

Although not incredibly athletic, Upshaw has the ability to be a very important asset on the defensive end. He is almost seven feet tall and has an enormous wingspan, which allows him to be a disruptive force on defense. He is a very good rim protector who utilizes his size and strength to alter and block almost every shot around him. He is not very quick side to side, and it may be tough to ask him to guard the pick-and-roll consistently, but he is good enough in the paint to make up for it.

Offensively he is still very raw, and won’t offer much besides putbacks and alley-oops, but he can certainly grow in the right system. There are plenty of centers who have huge impacts on the game and rely mostly on finishing easy baskets on offense. He will also need to be in the right environment, as his off the court issues resulted in him leaving two different college programs. It is one of the reasons why teams did not want to gamble a draft pick on him, and the Lakers will have to be careful.

Upshaw is a couple of years from contributing, but he has the potential to earn important minutes down the road. It is not often that you can find someone with his size and shot blocking ability, and he should be able to make his mark with the summer league team. The Lakers were able to pick him up undrafted and can simply move on should he not impress them, but if they can develop him slowly then it could pay dividends for the team.