The Los Angeles Lakers selected Dalton Knecht at pick No. 17 in the NBA draft from Tennessee. The former SEC Player of the Year will instantly make the Lakers better. What Knecht will also do: Make it harder for Bronny James to get a lot of minutes with the Lakers next season. Knecht is a bigger investment, being 38 draft spots higher as an obviously superior college player with an NBA-ready profile. He also plays on the wing, as Bronny does. That’s a duplication of roles on the roster. Knecht should get ample minutes along with the established Laker veterans. It’s hard for Bronny to make the same claim and elbow his way into a comparable amount of playing time.
LeBron Wire wrote this about Knecht:
“While the Lakers were a decent eighth in 3-point shooting percentage this regular season, they were 28th in 3-point attempts. Furthermore, they were 15th in both categories out of the 16 teams that made it to the 2024 NBA Playoffs. They need at least one additional player who can not only make it rain from downtown but is also a high-volume 3-point shooter. Knecht seems to check both boxes.
“In three seasons of Division I college basketball, he made 38.3% of his 3-point attempts, and he was at 39.7% on 6.5 attempts a game this season for the University of Tennessee. He seems to have the ability to not only hit open treys but also contested treys, which is one sign of a very good or great shooter.”
Knecht does things Bronny doesn’t do, and he does them at a high level. It will be hard for Bronny to claim a significant chunk of playing time with Knecht on the Lakers’ roster.
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