NBA Draft Winners: The Lakers, According to Analyst

Coming into the 2024 NBA Draft, all the talk surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers was the team’s intention to select LeBron James’ son, Bronny James, at either No. 17, which would be a major stretch, or at No. 55 late in the second round.

Although it remains to be seen who the Lakers take at No. 55, as Bronny James is very much in play at this point in time, the Lakers did hit a home run with their first-round draft pick.

When on the clock at No. 17 on Wednesday, the Lakers were fortunate enough to still have University of Tennessee star Dalton Knecht available, and the team didn’t hesitate to bring him in.

As a result of drafting Knecht, the Lakers have been dubbed by many to be the big winner of the draft thus far, as they may have gotten a steal with the Tennessee product, with Adam Schein of Mad Dog Sports Radio going as far as to say Los Angeles would’ve beaten the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs had the talented scorer been on the team.

“If Dalton Knecht was on the Lakers instead of Tennessee last year, the Lakers could have beaten the Nuggets!”

That’s a pretty bold statement to make, considering that Knecht has yet to play a single minute on the professional level, but it does show how much of a game-changer certain people think the former Volunteers star will be in the NBA.

Only time will tell if Knecht can make a considerable impact on the Lakers, but the team seems very content with its first-round draft choice.