It is a rarity, but LeBron James sometimes praises the Lakers front office. He usually tries to stay away from commenting on the job the front office does, but after the win against the Utah Jazz, the NBA’s leading scorer shared his thoughts. In an interview with ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, James talked about how valuable Dalton Knecht is and how the organization did well to draft him.
Lebron James Praises Lakers Front Office
Speaking to Dave McMenamin, LeBron simultaneously praised the Lakers front office and threw shades at other organizations.
Many experts believed Knecht is a major steal for the Lakers at Number 17. So far, he has proven this to be true. James has had full trust in Dalton’s abilities since the preseason. He and the other members of the team have been urging the 23-year-old to shoot as much as possible. Dalton has the ultimate green light and he has been making the most of his opportunity.
What was Dalton’s Realistic Spot?
After a battle, everyone is a general. While Knecht looks like the steal of the draft with his recent play, the truth is that he was never a top-10 pick to begin with. The one team where he might have ended up was the Memphis Grizzlies, who already had a talented roster and could have used some shooting. But they decided to fill the hole at center with Zach Edey.
Other teams in the lottery usually try to draft a young prospect with higher potential, not just a shooting role player. Knecht is 23 years old and quite older than usual lottery picks. For now, Knecht enjoys his shooting stretch. For the past four games, he has averaged 24.3 points on 67.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Against the Utah Jazz, he tied a rookie record for most threes in a single game with nine.
LeBron Changing His Mind
We have to note while LeBron praises the Lakers front office now for drafting Knecht, things were quite different in the summer. The Athletic reported that LeBron and Anthony Davis wanted the organization to go all-in for a third star rather than trying to build a sustainable winner in the long run. According to the report by the Athletic, the difference in opinion was a major point of conflict between LeBron and AD and the Lakers front office.
However, Lakers GM Rob Pelinka and their new coach at the time, JJ Redick, didn’t sound desperate about trying to trade for a third star. Instead, both highlighted the importance of the group rather than the stars. Pelinka and Redick believed they could get more out of Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, Max Christie, and D’Angelo Russell
Did the Lakers Do Well With LeBron?
To be fair, the Lakers did almost everything LeBron wanted this summer. While they didn’t get him a third star, they did hire his podcast buddy to serve as a head coach. They also drafted his son, making his wish to play with Bronny James a reality. They also drafted him a “sniper” in Knecht. While he is not a star, Knecht so far proves to be a valuable rotation player. That is more than teams can hope with the 17th pick in a weaker draft.
