2024 NBA Draft: Breaking Down Los Angeles Lakers Draft Class

The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the biggest franchises in all of sports and are looking to add more talent next to LeBron James. How well did they do in this year’s draft?

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The Los Angeles Lakers will soon re-sign LeBron James back to continue their hopes of adding another championship while Anthony Davis is still in his prime. The Lakers finished the season as a seven seed and ended up losing to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA playoffs. This year they ended up with two draft picks.

Let’s dive into each selection they made and the summary of their draft.

No. 17: Dalton Knecht

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Leading up to the draft, many were under the assumption that Dalton Knecht was the likely selection for the Charlotte Hornets with the sixth overall pick in this year’s draft, but things couldn’t be more wrong as Knecht ended up falling out of the lottery. There’s a valid argument to be made that the Lakers got the steal of the draft with where they landed the 6-foot-6 wing.

The former Tennessee Volunteer was top ten in all of college basketball in points per game as he averaged 21.7 points per game. Knecht is an elite shot-maker who has three-level scoring ability. He’s comfortable pulling up from anywhere on the floor and is a certified bucket-getter. Playing next to a gifted playmaker like LeBron James will allow Knecht to show off his elite spot-up shooting.

He has a ton of shot versatility and is comfortably one of the top shooters from the 2024 NBA Draft. Knecht is more than just a shooter as he’s an effective finisher around the rim with a strong frame and solid athleticism. The main question for him is his defense as he struggles to contain guards off the dribble and likely will never be a defensive stopper in the NBA. The scoring wing is one of the most NBA-ready guys out of this year’s draft class and he should be ready to produce right away for one of the most decorated franchises in NBA history.

No. 55: Bronny James

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With their second-round pick, the Lakers ended up taking Bronny James. Bronny is obviously the son of LeBron and this will be the first time in NBA history we see a father and son playing on the same team together. Before the college season even started Bronny suffered cardiac arrest in the summer of 2023 during a USC practice which resulted in him missing the first eight games of the season.

The combination of him having a tragic accident, missing a ton of valuable practices and being on a USC team that doesn’t have the best roster construction he had some big-time struggles during his one season in college. What James does best right now is defend at a high level as he has great defensive tools for a guard. He’s very strong, laterally quick and plays with great anticipation.

James has the potential to be an elite defensive guard in the NBA. Despite shooting below 30% from behind the arc in college, he’s a much better shooter than what his 3-point percentage suggests. He has solid shot mechanics and will be a reliable shooter off the catch in the NBA once he adjusts to the NBA line. The biggest concern for Bronny is that he’s not much of a scoring guard and doesn’t offer a ton of star upside. With that being said he has the potential and tools to be a very good role player in the NBA.

Two-way Rookie Signings

Armel Traore is a 6-foot-9 forward out of France who will likely be stuck in the G League for the majority of the season but there is some NBA potential for the forward. He has very long arms with a 7-foot-3 wingspan and is extremely strong. He has great physical and athletic tools to be a high-level defender in the NBA. The next step for Traore is improving his consistency as an outside shooter.

Blake Hinson was one of the top pure shooters in all of college basketball this past season. The 6-foot-6 forward shot 42% from behind the arc and possesses a ton of shot versatility. If he was to find a role on an NBA team years down the line it would be strictly due to his perimeter shooting as he doesn’t bring value much anywhere else. He lacks ideal athleticism and is a bit limited as a scorer inside the arc.

Draft Summary

Overall the Lakers had a pretty good draft. They landed one of the top pure scorers and bucket-getters in the entire draft in Knecht. The big question now is does he see a lot of minutes during his rookie campaign? He’s not an impactful defender and the Lakers already have a ton of offensive weapons so maybe he can carve out a role off the bench as a microwave scorer which is a very valuable role for teams looking to contend for a championship. Expect Knecht to be an ideal fit next to one of the top playmakers in NBA history in LeBron James.

The Lakers have already come out and said they have a development plan for Bronny James to turn him into an elite two-way guard so expect him to see some minutes in the G League to start the season but if they do end up developing him properly then there’s a real chance he becomes a super impactful player in the NBA. Overall this was a very good draft out of the Lakers and the fans in Los Angeles should be very excited heading into next season.

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