Inside The Wizards

LeBron James Slams Wizards Draft Choice

LeBron James believes the Washington Wizards may have made a mistake or two.

Jeremy Brener

Nov 19, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) shoots against Utah Jazz forward Kyle Filipowski (22) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Nov 19, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) shoots against Utah Jazz forward Kyle Filipowski (22) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
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The Washington Wizards had two lottery picks during the 2024 NBA Draft, selecting Alex Sarr and Bub Carrington to potentially form the next guard-big duo for the franchise.

So far, the Wizards may be 2-11, but they are excited about the flashes the two have shown. But LeBron James believes that the Wizards should have gone in a different direction and taken Tennessee forward Dalton Knecht.

Knecht, who was taken by LeBron's Lakers with the No. 17 overall pick, is making an early case for the Rookie of the Year award after scoring 37 points on 12 of 16 shooting including nine threes in a win against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night.

"They didn't 'find' DK," James said via ESPN reporter Dave McMenamin. "The other 16 teams f---ed it up. Did anybody watch him? S---. They just didn't f--- it up. You don't 'find' a SEC player of the year."

Knecht was projected to be an early lottery pick, but he kept sliding in the draft. There was a chance for the Wizards to take him at No. 14 when they traded into the spot, but needing a point guard, Washington selected Carrington.

The Wizards already had a lot of wings to work with, taking Bilal Coulibaly with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. They also have Kyle Kuzma and Corey Kispert on the roster, but that didn't stop the Wizards from taking Kyshawn George with the No. 24 pick.

The Wizards could have taken Knecht, but given where the franchise is, they likely wouldn't have been able to give him the opportunity that the Lakers have by making him a starter in the frontcourt next to LeBron.

Fit matters in the NBA, and while Knecht could have been a Wizards building block, he appears to be maximizing his potential out in Tinseltown.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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