Despite picking outside of the lottery, the Los Angeles Lakers were the star of the show at this year’s two-day NBA Draft.

The Lakers managed to pick Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht, a projected top-six pick, with the 17th overall selection in what could wind up being the biggest steal of the draft.

The 23-year-old Knecht, who reportedly slid because of his age, is exactly the type of player that Los Angeles needs. He is a 6’6 small forward who is not just a lights out shooter, but an excellent all-around scorer as well. Beginning in 2019, Knecht played for three different collegiate programs as he slowly worked his way up from the junior college (JuCo) level to NCAA Division 1.

In his final collegiate season, Knecht was named the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Player of the Year and received the Julius Erving Award after averaging 21.7 points per game on 39.7% three-point shooting. He led Tennessee all the way to the Elite 8 where he scored 37 points in their 72-66 loss to Purdue.

The addition of Knecht is certainly a welcome development for the Lakers. Last season, they sorely lacked a consistent outside shooting threat who could open up the floor for LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Knecht should step in from day one as a viable role player for this team and it would not come as a surprise if he eventually finds his way into the starting line-up.

An added bonus for Knecht, a brilliant movement shooter in college, is that he now has a chance to be mentored by one of the best shooters to ever play the game. Knecht should thrive under Los Angeles’ newly installed head coach JJ Redick who played 15 years in the NBA and was reportedly already drawing up plays to get him open on draft night.

On the second day of the NBA Draft, the Lakers made an even bigger splash–at least in terms of the media coverage that they received–when they made the highly-anticipated decision to draft LeBron “Bronny” James Jr. with the 55th overall pick.

The desire of LeBron to play with his son has been well-known by the public for many years and it has now become a reality. Bronny, who is a defensive-minded guard, was listed at 6’1 during the NBA Draft Combine and has drawn comparisons that span a wide range from De’Anthony Melton all the way up to Jrue Holiday.

Genetics aside, Bronny could wind up becoming a useful reserve for Los Angeles down the road, especially when considering that their current starting point guard D’Angelo Russell is a borderline liability on defense. If his ultimate ceiling as an NBA player winds up in between Melton and Holiday, he should be able to carve out a long career on his own merit. 

The biggest challenge for Bronny though will be the inevitable scrutiny that comes with his status as LeBron’s son. His 17-point games are going to receive far less attention compared with his zero-of-seven performances, so his ability to tune out all of the noise will definitely be tested.

The Lakers may not have come away with Zaccharie Risacher or any of the other top French prospects, but they definitely came away from the NBA Draft as one of the big winners. There is still a long way to go before Los Angeles can reclaim their status as contenders, but at the very least, they made some progress by picking Knecht and kept LeBron happy with the selection of Bronny.