The Los Angeles Lakers haven’t made waves in the trade market or in free agency so their biggest offseason addition may end up being rookie first-round pick Dalton Knecht. The guard out of Tennessee is older for a rookie at 23 so he could be ready to make an impact in his first year.
One player who is really excited to work with Knecht is LeBron James. He had a lot of praise for the rookie guard.
“Throughout the course of the college season, Dalton, besides Bronny (James), was my favorite player in college basketball,” James said during a July 6 press conference. “I watched his game throughout the whole season. I just liked his ability to shoot the ball, his athleticism, his height and his demeanor that he played with. I’ve always felt his game would translate to the NBA. I did not think he would fall to 17 at all, so I didn’t think we’d even have an opportunity to get him, but I’m glad he did.”
These are some strong comments from James. He’s already 39 and likely won’t have many years to play with Knecht but it’s clear he thinks he can make an instant impact. If he can carve out a spot in the Lakers’ rotation, that would help make up for an offseason that hasn’t featured any notable veteran additions thus far.
Rob Pelinks Is Very High on Dalton Knecht
Many outlets expected Knecht to be a top-10 draft pick this year. The Ringer projected him to be selected at No. 8 while ESPN had him going as high as No. 6.
The fact that the Lakers got him at No. 17 could end up being a big steal. General manager and vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka broke down why he thinks Knecht will be a good fit.
“The SEC Player of the Year, one of the toughest conferences, so just his competitive nature stood out,” Pelinka said during his June 26 press conference. “He’s a 3-level scorer. A guy that’s going to defend. He’s physical and athletic, really a 3 and D player, which every roster craves. He’s also a really good athlete. At the combine, he had a 39-inch vertical. So he has the ability to go off the bounce and attack the rim when teams run him off the line.
“That versatility is really hard to find. We just think he fits so well with our pillar pieces with [Anthony Davis], and hopefully if things work out in free agency with LeBron. To have a guy that will cause gravitational pull because of his shooting, and also when you run shooters around the court like he can do, it morphs the defense and just opens up driving lanes. There’s just a lot of versatility to his game, and I think he gives us a weapon that we currently don’t have on our roster.”
Dalton Knecht off to Rough Start in Summer League
While hopes are high for Knecht, he hasn’t had the best start in the NBA Summer League. In two games, he’s gone 2-for-15 on jumpers and has 24 combined points.
Luckily, this is the time of year when rookies are able to work these issues out and get more comfortable with their new team. He’s not taking Summer League by storm yet but there are plenty of games left to be played. If he can’t turn it around, the Lakers may need to slowly work him onto the court once the regular season starts.
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