Los Angeles Lakers Rookies Dalton Knecht, Bronny James Face Difficult Stretch Early

Rookies Dalton Knecht and Bronny James will make their NBA debuts on opening night and the Lakers have a tough test.

Jul 2, 2024; El Segundo, CA, USA; From left: Los Angeles Lakers first round draft pick Dalton Knecht (4) and second round draft pick Bronny James (9) pose at a press conference at the UCLA Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers are attempting to bounce back from their 47-35 season a year ago which was only good enough to make the play-in tournament which they couldn't navigate their way through.

Still rostering LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the expectation is that the Lakers will find a way to compete even in the rough and tumble Western Conference. Fresh off an Olympic run where James continues to show he has more left in the tank somehow, it is on the Purple and Gold to not let these year(s) go to waste.

In the 2024 NBA Draft, the Lakers selected Dalton Knecht and Bronny James after hiring first-year head coach JJ Redick who while being an NBA veteran and smart basketball mind has never paced the sidelines at any level that includes players whose age reaches double figures.

Knecht and James' debuts will come on Oct. 22, a home game inside the Crypto dot com area against the Minnesota Timberwolves who represent one of the favorites out west. This game is marketed on NBA's TNT Opening Night special marked as the second game of the NBA season.

From there, the road doesn't get easier for their rookie swingmen and bench boss. They take on the Suns, Kings, Suns and Cavs right out of the gate after that date with the Timberwolves. That is a difficult five-game stretch to get their feet wet.

At times a slow start can doom you, clearly a five-game stretch will not unwind things, but with the West shaping up to be ultra-competitive yet again it will be challenging to play catch up from bad spills.

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