Cliff Alexander sprains MCL in workout for Lakers

The next break Cliff Alexander catches will be his first.

There may be nobody relying more heavily on the pre-draft workout process than the Kansas big man, who lost the tail end of his freshman season due to an NCAA investigation. Alexander believes his "mom got tricked" into taking money the family needed without realizing she was putting his eligibility at risk.

With that eligibility in question, Alexander, who perhaps could have used another season to improve his standing in the eyes of scouts after a disappointing rookie campaign, opted to declare for the draft. The thinking went that the chance to impress NBA teams outweighed the risk of returning to school, being deemed ineligible, and doing all of this over again in 2016.

Alexander caught another unlucky break on Tuesday while working out for the Los Angeles Lakers, who own the Nos. 2, 27, and 34 picks in the draft.

While the Lakers wouldn't speculate on the injury, Alexander's agent told Chad Ford of ESPN that his client suffered a "very mild" MCL sprain in his right knee. He's expected to be sidelined for less than a week.

That may seem like a fortunate outcome - and it is, if an injury has to occur - but Alexander can ill afford a setback or something nagging him as he works out for teams. Ranked as the No. 32 prospect by ESPN and No. 47 by DraftExpress, Alexander needs every opportunity to show that the improvements he was flashing before the NCAA investigation were the real thing.

If a team opts to take a flier on the 19-year-old, it will be because of his raw physical tools more than his polish. With a 7-foot-3.5 wingspan, 9-foot-1.5 standing reach and 5.8 percent body fat, Alexander's body is game-ready for the NBA's power forward position. His basketball IQ and offensive game will require patience, but he could be a solid rebounder and shot-blocker off the bench if he plays within himself.

The most likely scenario sees a team take a flier on him early in the second round before sending him to the D-League for further development.