As the NBA preseason comes to a close, the Los Angeles Lakers are in a pretty good position. Despite the loss of LeBron James, the overall sentiment is positive for the Purple and Gold, with Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Walker Kessler leading the way. Even so, not everyone on the team is trending in the right direction.
Through training camp and preseason, there are two players who have notably failed to impress: Bronny James and Dalton Knecht, who have been practically non-existent in the early Lakers rotation. According to Dan Woike, who answered a fan Q&A on Thursday, both players are in a unique situation, but especially Bronny, who is entering his first season without his dad as a teammate.
“The belief in Bronny James the person/player is genuine,” wrote Woike. “Of course, the Lakers knew drafting him would make LeBron happy, but they’ve always been intrigued by his athleticism and length (despite his size), and since he’s been in the building, they’ve raved about his work ethic and how he handles all the craziness that comes with being LeBron James Jr.”
With Bronny, the Lakers admire his approach and personality. He says and does all the right things while never demanding more opportunities. He’s been teachable and very mature through his NBA transition, earning praise from coaches and teammates. The problem is, Bronny just doesn’t get enough results on the court. Over the past two seasons in Los Angeles, he’s struggled to make an impact, averaging just 2.7 points, 0.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game on 37.4% shooting from the field.
This month, JJ Redick himself admitted that Bronny has not been playing well this preseason, and it calls into question his future with the team. Without LeBron there to give that extra incentive, Bronny is suddenly much more expendable, and it make shis performance this season even more important.
Meanwhile, Dalton Knecht also faces exile. The former 17th overall pick was once considered part of their future, but he has fallen out of favor with the coaching staff. With career averages of 7.1 points, 2.2 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.3 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game on 46.0% shooting, he clearly has potential, but the Lakers don’t think he’s a good fit on account of his weak basketball IQ.
“The biggest issue with Dalton Knecht hasn’t been shooting and hasn’t been defensive effort. It’s been processing,” Woike added. “The way one scout put it to me that’s stuck with me – Knecht’s on-court IQ isn’t strong enough for him to just think the game, and he’s not instinctual enough to just go play freely. Obviously, he’s been in a tough spot with the org. since the Mark Williams deal, and almost everyone agrees that if it’s going to happen for him, it’ll need to be somewhere else.”
As the Lakers head toward opening night, we can expect Redick and his staff to trim down the rotation and make some important decisions about who will play what role. Besides the skill to achieve results, he wants players who can think and adapt to what’s happening on the court.
For Bronny and Knecht, meeting the required standards has not been easy, but there is still time for both of them to get on the right track. Besides patience and perseverance, it will take a lot of hard work and dedication to become what the Lakers need them to be.