Arjun, who is being noticed by Kupchak

Arjun's scouting report is pretty much all rave reviews.

If it weren't for the fact that Asian guards haven't really made it big in the NBA, Arjun's draft projection would be even higher.

Of course, there's still a long way to go until the draft. If Arjun keeps playing this steady, his stock could climb even higher.

For an Asian guard to have made it to the mid-first round already is no small feat. Scouts are really going to be watching his performance in March Madness.

After all, the games in the PAC12 still seem a bit light on intensity.

The NBA doesn't just draft from NCAA based on regular season games.

Arjun isn't like the other well-known prospects. Compared to them, his foundation is still pretty thin.

But Arjun's pretty happy with how fast his draft stock is rising.

NBA scouts aren't fools,they're really professional.

There's some racial bias, but that's not the deciding factor. What really determines the draft order is Arjun's own ability.

As long as he keeps showing what he's capable of, getting picked won't be a problem—it's just a matter of how high he goes.

...

Over in Las Vegas, UCLA has topped the odds, beating out powerhouses like North Carolina and Duke to take the top spot.

This is the highest UCLA has ranked in the last decade.

Of course, being the number one seed in the nation doesn't guarantee the championship.

In fact, it's rare for the top seed to make it to the end—March Madness is just full of surprises.

January 2nd.

UCLA faces another challenge as they head to Arizona to take on the University of Arizona.

This isn't the Arizona State University where James Harden played.

James averaged a team-high 19.7 points per game at Arizona, along with 2.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists.

Arizona has a record of 14 wins and 5 losses so far this season.

James is physically impressive.

Though he's got the skills of a point guard and shooting guard, he stands at 6'3" and, most importantly, his athleticism is off the charts.

James's coordination is unbelievable, and he's fast, smooth, explosive, with a first step that's just incredible—it's like he springs into action. Despite being a bit on the lean side, he's in peak physical condition.

If James entered the draft this year, he'd be a top ten pick.

But word has it he might wait till next year to aim for the top three.

Anyway, right now, James has a bigger buzz than Arjun and Afflalo.

The head-to-head matchup between James and Arjun is drawing a lot of attention.

Arizona is seen as the only PAC12 team that might stop UCLA's winning streak.

Back in India, countless fans are eagerly waiting to watch this game.

Arjun's rise to fame in the US has been rapid. Back home, every major basketball forum is filled with links to his college games and GIFs of his plays—it all looks pretty badass. These fans are desperate to know everything about Arjun.

Arjun is being hailed as possibly the first Indian-origin player to be drafted.

Arjun is a guard, and 2008 is the year of the Olympics.

Fans hope that Arjun, this nationally renowned guard, isn't just all hype and that he'll represent India at the Olympics.

Back home, TV stations are tuning into public demand and broadcasting this tour.

If the broadcast goes well, they might also air UCLA's March Madness games.

...

In the VIP suite at Staples Center.

Lakers President Jim Buss was chatting about work with General Manager Mitch Kupchak while watching the game.

After retiring in 1986, Kupchak became Jerry West's assistant GM and took over all the GM duties for the Lakers, but he didn't have the full authority of a GM until 2000. That's when Jerry West left his position as the league's vice president to manage the Memphis Grizzlies, and Kupchak finally completed his transition from player to executive.

In Kupchak's first major trade, he brought in superstars Karl Malone and Gary Payton to form the "F4." Although they didn't clinch success, it proved his capability in handling big moves.

Of course, some of Kupchak's subsequent trades, including trading Shaquille O'Neal for Miami Heat's Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, and Brian Grant, were controversial. Despite having the support of team owner Jim Buss, Kupchak had to face challenges from Lakers fans and Lakers star Kobe Bryant.

Kobe felt Kupchak couldn't find him the right support, leading to this year's power struggle.

Tonight, the Lakers were up against their arch-rivals, the Celtics.

With just 8 seconds left, the Lakers were down by more than 10 points.

Even though the Celtics were a weaker team, the Lakers still couldn't beat them tonight.

It had been a while since Kobe's last showdown, but tonight's situation had him agitated again.

The big screen at Staples showed Kobe, who looked pretty upset.

The Lakers' record was just too bad, and Kobe couldn't stand the continuous losses.

Tonight, Kobe did his best, scoring 48 points with 12 rebounds and 7 assists, but they still lost.

Losing to other strong teams was one thing, but losing to a so-called weaker rival, especially after Kobe had sworn to take them down, was just embarrassing.

The Celtics didn't win because of their star Pierce scoring 22 points, but because of their point guard Rondo, who exploded with a triple-double of 18 points, 14 assists, and 10 rebounds, leading the Celtics to victory.

Rondo successfully coordinated the Celtics' team play, making their offense incredibly smooth, with everyone finding their roles.

Kobe looked at his own point guard, then at the opposing one, and felt frustrated.

After the loss, Kobe just threw a towel over his head and walked back to the locker room without saying a word.

This game really got under Kobe's skin.

And it wasn't just Kobe who was upset,Jim Buss was too.

"We need to make changes, or Kobe will threaten us again, saying we're not keeping our promises," Jim Buss said.

Jerry Buss had already had some complaints about Jim's management and had to personally calm Kobe down last time. If it happened again, Jim felt his position might soon be taken over by his sister Jeanie, who was seen as more competent in the public eye.

"We can't strengthen the team now, only in the offseason," Kupchak said.

"How do we strengthen in the offseason?" Jim Buss asked.

"Through the draft and trades. We need a point guard that satisfies Kobe, and another all-star big man, since Andrew is still a bit green," Kupchak explained.

Jim Buss and Kupchak had discussed strengthening the Lakers many times. This summer, they had a lot of work to do.

"The draft? Don't count on it. We can't expect a rookie to save us," Jim Buss said.

"That's not necessarily true," Kupchak replied.

As they spoke, Kupchak pulled out a scouting report and handed it to Jim Buss, "There's a game of his later,we can watch it in my office."

Jim Buss took the scouting report and recognized it was about Arjun.

"What's his projected draft position?"

"On the edge of the lottery, but safely in the lottery, I think. We don't have a lottery pick, but we could trade for one. I think he could be another Magic," Kupchak said.

Kupchak had been following Arjun's games closely. In his view, Arjun was the strongest point guard in the NCAA.

He really wanted to bring Arjun to the Lakers.

Both Lakers fans and Kobe would welcome this guy as their starting point guard.

"OK, it's in your hands," Jim Buss said.

Jim Buss wasn't very interested in rookies,he was more intrigued by Kupchak's plan to trade for Gasol.