6 Crucial Lakers who prove this isn't the same team from a season ago

Dalton Knecht

At No. 17 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, most expected the Los Angeles Lakers to select a player who would provide limited value in 2024-25. Instead, Los Angeles added a projected top-10 pick and one of the best three-level scorers and three-point shooters in the entire class.

Dalton Knecht shouldn't be leaned on to single-handedly transform the Lakers' offense during his rookie season, but his mere presence offers the team something it simply didn't have in 2023-24.

Knecht was one of the most prolific players and scorers in the country during the 2023-24 college basketball season. He was eighth in the nation and first in the SEC in scoring at 21.7 points per game, knocking down 2.6 three-point field goals per contest on 39.7 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

Knecht also led the Tennessee Volunteers to the men's program's first appearance in the Elite Eight since 2010—a clear example of how his game translated to team success.

In 2024-25, the Lakers will have a genuine sharpshooter working the wings. Rui Hachimura and LeBron James shot the lights out in 2023-24, yes, but Knecht has a chance to step in and occupy the pivotal role of off-ball scorer as he takes a slower approach to translating the rest of his game.

With seemingly limitless range, a high release point, and the quickness to get himself open, Knecht's movement without the ball can hold teams accountable in ways the Lakers simply didn't achieve in 2023-24.

It's important to temper expectations with an incoming rookie, but if anyone's up to the task of proving the skeptics wrong, it's Knecht.