Tuesday night was, well, ugly for Bronny James. In the Los Angeles Lakers' 101-89 preseason loss to the Golden State Warriors, the young guard was brutal on the offensive end. No points, no assists, four turnovers, and a team-worst -18 in plus-minus during his 11 minutes on the court.
JJ Redick said of Bronny at the postgame press conference: "I don’t think he’s played well in the four preseason games, but he’s had good practices. Some of it's just rhythm. Some of it's who he's playing with."
One of the players who James shared the court with was Dalton Knecht. Past the equally forgettable box score numbers (no points and two turnovers), what made Knecht's night subjectively worse was the lack of effort in his play.
Trying to read body language can be a bit of a pseudoscience at times. However, for those who partake, Tuesday night featured a rough display from Knecht. It was not even the first time this has been brought up as an indictment of his play from the preseason. In many ways, the former first-round pick is playing the part of someone who believes he is going to be off the team.
Coming roster cut should not be an afterthought for Bronny James or Dalton Knecht
Some will argue that a poor performance like the one against the Warriors, and an overall preseason that has been a touch lacking, should put Bronny in the line of fire for the coming roster cuts. However, most evidence to this point would suggest James is just a notch above truly feeling unsafe.
Knecht, on the other hand, has been positioned as number 16 in Los Angeles since the Lakers went over the permittable roster limit for NBA Opening Night. Perhaps he knows it. His play in the preseason has shown moments of reflecting it.
Much has been said of who is at fault between the Lakers and Knecht when it comes to his unraveling post-Mark Williams trade. Some blame the franchise. Others will hold the player accountable for not coming back with an attitude of proving the organization wrong.
Draymond Green even thought Knecht's agent deserved flack for not working harder to get his client out of there following that failed trade. The reality is it involves a combination of it all. There is plenty blame to go around for everyone.
All the same, the Lakers and Knecht have arrived to where they are today. You have a player who can look disinterested with being there, and you have a team who should be ready to let him depart. If that long-awaited split is finally coming, his teammates, Bronny included, can rest easy knowing they are safe as a result.
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