The Los Angeles Lakers were able to take advantage of the board during the 2024 NBA Draft, coming away with Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht at No. 17 and USC’s Bronny James at No. 55.
Knecht was widely believed to be a lottery pick after a strong senior year for the Volunteers and his NCAA Tournament run, while Bronny and his agent Rich Paul were able to dissuade teams from picking him before Los Angeles did. Knecht is an NBA-ready prospect who can immediately space the floor and hit outside shots for the parent team, while Bronny will need reps in the G League though he’ll likely get a shot to share the court with LeBron James to make NBA history.
The two rookies’ selections were well-received by both analysts and fans alike, and Knecht and Bronny will get their chance to show what they can do when the annual California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League kick off in the next couple of weeks.
In the meantime, Knecht and Bronny were officially welcomed to the team after they got to select their jersey numbers:
Knecht Four. pic.twitter.com/M9MvwUZpOO
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) June 28, 2024
Number Nine: Bronny James. pic.twitter.com/I91YjMEXAZ
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) June 28, 2024
Knecht makes the perfect jersey number as his last name is pronounced “connect,” which calls back the popular game “Connect 4.” Meanwhile, Bronny goes with No. 9 likely to pay homage to his father who wore No. 6 for the Miami Heat and Lakers before the number was universally retired across the NBA to pay respect to Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell. Nick Van Exel notably wore No. 9 during his time with the Lakers in the 1990s.
It’s an exciting moment for the two rookies who will eventually get to live out their NBA dream once the 2024-25 season tips off, though now the focus shifts to free agency as the team can’t be done adding to a roster that’s fallen short in the playoffs the past couple of years.
Knecht has an inside track to minutes considering his skillset, though he alone isn’t enough to bring L.A. into the upper echelon as it pertains to outside shooting. It’s going to be a busy few weeks for the front office as they search for upgrades to a roster that some think isn’t far off from competing.
Lakers’ Dalton Knecht studied JJ Redick in college
JJ Redick’s influence was all over the pick for Dalton Knecht who is a great movement shooter like his new head coach. In fact, Knecht revealed he studied Redick during his time in college.
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