LeBron James drops honest Dalton Knecht draft admission after Lakers pick
07/06/2024 06:53 PM
The NBA Draft was a little over a week ago, and the Los Angeles Lakers had two of the most intriguing picks. Obviously, getting Bronny James, the son of LeBron James, stands out as one of the biggest picks of the whole draft, but the Lakers might have gotten a steal with their first-round pick. Tennessee star Dalton Knecht was selected by Los Angeles with the 17th overall pick, and it was a surprise to a lot of people that he fell that far. One of those surprised people is LeBron James.
Dalton Knecht started his college basketball career with the Northern Colorado basketball team before transferring to Tennessee. He averaged just over 20 PPG during the during the 2022-23 season, and then he decided to make the move to the Volunteers. People were curious to see how his game would translate moving into the SEC, and he ended up having an even bigger year in 2023 as he averaged over 21.
Heading into the NBA Draft, it didn’t look like the Lakers would have a chance to draft Knecht. He was projected to be taken earlier than that, but no one picked him up, and Los Angeles jumped all over it. LeBron James was surprised that it happened, but he is happy that Knecht is coming to play for the Lakers.
“Throughout the course of the college season Dalton [Knecht], besides Bronny [James], was my favorite player in college basketball,” James said. “I’ve watched his game throughout the whole season. I just liked his ability to shoot the ball, his athleticism, his height, the demeanor that he’s plays with. I’ve always kind of felt like his game would translate to the NBA. I did not think he would fall to 17 at all, so I didn’t even think we would get the opportunity to get him. I'm glad he did, so looking forward to that.”
Knecht was the type of player that can go his team a bucket when they needed it most in college, and if James is right about his game translating to the NBA, then that will be huge for the Lakers. Knecht was a star in college, and his future looks bright.
The Lakers had an intriguing draft
Dalton Knecht could end up being the steal of the first round, but most of the attention on the Lakers is in regard to Bronny James. LeBron James has always wanted to play with Bronny in the NBA, and he will now get that chance as the Lakers took Bronny in the second round. The father-son duo is here.
There were a lot of question marks heading into the NBA Draft about Bronny James after he had a disappointing season with the USC basketball team last year. He only averaged 4.8 PPG, and many people believe that he was only drafted because he is the son of LeBron. Had the Lakers not taken him, he likely would have went undrafted.
All in all, it was an intriguing draft for the Lakers. Both Dalton Knecht and Bronny James are going to be two rookies that a lot of people are paying attention to next season.
The post LeBron James drops honest Dalton Knecht draft admission after Lakers pick appeared first on ClutchPoints.
