Bill Simmons Believes Lakers Rookie Has Shot at Major NBA Award

Does he have a point?

Sep 30, 2024; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) and forward Dalton Knecht (4) during media day at the UCLA Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Do the Los Angeles Lakers have a Rookie of the Year on their hands?

It seems that team president Rob Pelinka has rebounded from several years of draft futility, in actually adding a player who can contribute to a playoff-bound club right away. Pelinka couldn't entirely help himself when it came to drafting raw prospects (his general inclination over the last few years, despite fielding the incredibly old LeBron James on his roster) this past summer, however. He brought in former USC Trojans backup point guard Bronny James with the No. 55 pick. Although he is LeBron's son, Bronny is a developmental project, and not expected to be a part of the Lakers' rotation.

But Dalton Knecht, L.A.'s No. 17 pick in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft, is already looking like a major hit. He's a critical floor spacer off the bench, and has already earned the trust of first-year head coach JJ Redick.

In a recent installment of his must-listen show "The Bill Simmons Podcast," The Ringer's Bill Simmons unpacked the early-season gambling odds for the league's 2025 Rookie of the Year competition. Simmons noted that Knecht, a win-now pick who's essentially the polar opposite of L.A.'s 2023 No. 17 pick, ex-Indiana point guard Jalen Hood-Schifino, was already looking good enough to be in the hunt.

"This [Rookie of the Year race, Memphis Grizzlies center] Zach Edey is still the favorite at +290," Simmons said. "[The Atlanta Hawks' No. 1 pick Zaccharie] Risacher is +650, hold that thought. [Houston Rockets guard] Reed Sheppard is 7-to-1, and I'm not sure he's gonna get enough minutes unless they trade him. [Guard Stephon] Castle +950 [on the San Antonio Spurs]... and then Knecht on the Lakers, I don't think he's gonna get enough minutes. You'd have to have some sort of injury, but he's at least somebody that... seems like he's gonna have an impact right away, at least as a bench guy. Risacher is the one I'm targeting here [as his Rookie of the Year contender to bet on]."

The 6-foot-9 Risacher, a combo forward out of France, is currently averaging 7.3 points on a paltry .303/.214/.545 slash line, 2.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.0 blocks and 0.8 steals in 22.5 minutes per for Atlanta across four games. The 23-year-old Knecht, an All-American while with the Tennessee Volunteers last year, is averaging 5.8 points on .421/.385/1.000 shooting splits, 1.3 assists and 0.5 steals across 15.3 minutes a night for Los Angeles.

More Lakers: Top 5 Takeaways from Lakers Loss to the Suns