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Bronny,

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cool as can be! They say he’s a super person and who knows what he will become? We know what he has overcome!

Surprisingly Solid 1st Round

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Looks like we (maybe) learned another NBA GMing 101 lesson! Rob simply made the best choice available, didn’t get it muddled with illusions of drafting the next Wes Unseld at 17. They picked the best player available. Easy, right?

Based on last summer’s draft, evidently not. With questions as to what Jalen Hood-Schifino is even good at and Max Lewis struggle to shoot at a rec league level there were no guarantees we wouldn’t all be left scratching our heads when the dust settled.

Rob didn’t draft Bronny in the first round, something that didn’t seem plausible but was certainly possible. It would have been borderline criminal if he had. He just didn’t impact winning in a meaningful way. It could be argued not being drafted at all and playing overseas somewhere would benefit him more than trying to carve out a role in the NBA while still learning the game.

He didn’t pick a center that would just as likely (if not more likely) be a project that doesn’t align with LeBron’s timeline in any meaningful way. Just didn’t make sense to me with the number of available, serviceable centers on the free agency market, Hayes possibly picking up his option, Wood having already picked up his option, but mainly because we have AD at the 5. Plus we have a project center on a two-way deal in Castleton and some of our best line ups will probably have LeBron at the 5 in small ball situations as the “stretch 5”.

He picked Dalton Knecht, who on some boards I saw was as high as a top 5 pick but generally fell into the 7-12 range. To have him fall into our laps…like Whitmore and Jaquez did last season…seemed almost too good to be true. The only left was Rob not blowing it. Thankfully he did not.

It’s bittersweet for me because the bar for Rob doing his job is set to toddler low. We get excited when he does the obvious thing right. That’s unfortunate because there are better minds out there available right now. Maybe they don’t want to come work at The Lakers Family Circus, and honestly that gets more and more understandable as the years go by, but it would be nice to see someone who does the job well at the helm.

Basically I’m tired of watching guys learn on the job around here. When your relationships matter so much more than your experience, that’s problematic. When the head of the organization values loyalty more than savvy or honesty, that’s a biiig problem (see America, United States of). So, while I’m happy we picked the most NBA-ready talent out there who looks like he can contribute right away, I’m also annoyed that it doesn’t seem to be the norm. That we need to constantly learn these simple lessons the hard way.

Analysis, fits for all 58 NBA Draft picks

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17. Los Angeles Lakers
Dalton Knecht | 6-5 wing | 23 years old | Tennessee

Vecenie’s ranking: 9

Dalton Knecht is this draft’s most ready-made NBA scorer. He’ll be able to step in immediately and space the floor for his teammates and knock down shots. On top of that, he’s a good athlete who can attack closeouts. He’s also a professional cutter who runs well out of actions. Having said that, where you think Knecht’s upside sits focuses on two areas. First, what level do you think his athleticism will allow him to reach on defense? Can he become a non-liability? Can he be an average player? He plays on that end as if he cares, so that is promising. There’s upside given his quickness and athleticism. But early on, it might be rough. Second, where do you think he can get to as an on-ball playmaker? Can he blend passing with his scoring better? Can he keep developing his craft in ball screens and handoffs?

The more I watched him, the more I thought that the scheme he lands in will be important to accessing that on-ball upside. Knecht can help anyone in the NBA immediately as a shooter. But to get the most out of him, the key is to put him in an offense that runs a ton of sets, allows him to play off movement and uses the threat of his jumper in the way Tennessee did this year. Utah at No. 10 stands out as a great spot with Will Hardy running a lot of different actions to get shooters free. He would excel in Miami’s scheme under Erik Spoelstra, whose offense would allow him to flow into the types of ball screen and handoff actions where he found success this year with Tennessee. No matter what, I see Knecht as a successful rotation player because of the shooting. But the upside is a bit more situationally based if you’re looking at him as a top-10 pick. Realistically, where I’d rank him if I was working for a team would be extremely dependent on the kind of offense I planned to run. There are teams I’d have him ranked in the top-five for in this class.

Hollinger’s analysis: The Lakers get a JJ Redick clone! In all seriousness, if they weren’t trading the pick, then Knecht was a pretty obvious pick for a team that is both desperate for shooting help and on a win-now timeline. The Lakers have to feel pretty good he fell this far and didn’t leave them making a more speculative choice. Knecht’s theoretical upside is more limited than some other players in this range, but the Lakers can’t wait.