The Los Angeles Lakers introduced their 2024 draft picks Dalton Knecht and Bronny James on Tuesday. New head coach J.J. Redick lauded both players for their offensive abilities.
“[Knecht] is a movement shooter who can obviously play off the bounce. We view him very highly on our draft board,” Reddick said. “Prioritizing player development, we view [James] as case study one because his base level of feel, athleticism, point of attack defender, shooting, passing, there’s a lot to like about his game.”
The Los Angeles Lakers introduce their 2024 NBA Draft picks Dalton Knecht and Bronny James pic.twitter.com/kxaYS038UR
— Amanda Scurlock (@Amandtastic) July 2, 2024
James joins the Lakers after spending one season with the USC Trojans. He played in 25 games averaging 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds while shooting at 36.6 percent from the field and 26.7 percent in three-pointers. He missed the first eight games of the season due to cardiac arrest.
“The time that I had off I felt like I could have been perfecting my game more,” James said. “I’ve been given an opportunity to showcase what I can really do because I wasn’t given that much of an opportunity at [USC].”
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James became a 2023 McDonalds All-American when he was a senior at Sierra Canyon. That season, he averaged 14.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. He looks forward to improving his shooting.
“I feel like I know how to play the game already and play the right way but just be more aggressive on the offensive end and create my shot,” James said.
Knecht took the junior college route, attending Northeastern Junior College of Sterling Colorado, after not receiving any Division I offers out of high school.
Knecht played for Northern Colorado and Tennessee. With the Vols, he became SEC Player of the Year. During the 2023-2024 season, he averaged 21.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, shooting at 45.8 percent from the field and 39.7 in three-pointers.
“My journey is not like everybody else’s but that’s okay,” Knecht said. “Creating my path is something special and a lot of kids will look up to it.”
During his college career, Knecht studied Redick.
“Me and [Tennessee men’s basketball head coach Rick] Barnes, we watched a lot of J.J. Redick and how he comes off screens, gets openings, creates space even before he runs off the screen,” Knecht said. “I’m excited to learn from him.”
Both Knecht and James are expected to compete in the California Classic in Sacramento and in the Summer League.
While he is building up his coaching staff, Redick plans to iron out his player development program. He noted how he wants to take a holistic approach for the program.
“It’s about reads, it’s about incorporating film, incorporating analytics,” Redick said. “It’s nutrition, it’s how you take care of your body, your work in the weight room.”
