The spotlight of the Los Angeles Lakers draft class is shining on LeBron James’ son Bronny, but their first-round selection deserves much of the praise.
Former Tennessee Volunteers guard Dalton Knecht went off the board at No. 17 and is ready to contribute to a championship contender right away. Many were shocked he fell to Los Angeles three picks outside the lottery, but organizations were scared by his age. At 23 years old, Knecht spent three seasons in college, averaging 21.7 points on 45.8% shooting as a junior with the Volunteers. This aspect, rather, should've intrigued front offices after seeing the success of Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Jaquez came into the league as the No. 18 pick after four years with the UCLA Bruins. Most had their doubts in the Heat’s front office, but Jaquez proved them all wrong, making an immediate impact. He appeared in 75 games, often closing out crunch-time situations alongside Jimmy Butler and Ban Adebayo.
With Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell potentially on his way out, Knecht is ready to fill the void left behind at a moment’s notice.
