So far into the Summer League, Dalton Knecht and Bronny James were the topics of discussion. While the Lakers stumbled in the California Classic, their first game in the 2K25 Summer League wasn’t so bad. They faced the Rockets in the opener and it is safe to say that their rookie exceeded expectations on Friday night. The first-round pick, Knecht seemed like a decent candidate as the Lakers planned to deepen their roster. But while this dominant performance was expected from him, the Lakers didn’t see it coming so early.

In the 99-80 loss against Houston, Knecht dropped 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists, while shooting 50% from the field and over 45% from deep. Of course, the Lakers are in need of a consistent shooter and scorer to support their starters. Knecht is still a rookie but has shown some serious potential. Now the fact that he is 23 years old does play a role in how mature his game is. Other players of the same age include ANT, Maxey, and more. These players are not to be compared to the rookie, but it gives a sense of what attributes a player can achieve at that age.

His college stats might define it all for those who have just tuned in on Knecht. In his senior year at Tennessee, Knecht averaged 21.7 points and 4.9 rebounds, shooting over 45% from the field. Not only that, but he averaged slightly better numbers in Northern Colorado a year prior. He is a solid future asset for the Purple and Gold franchise and will immensely complement Austin’s game. Dalton is a confident shooter which makes him a dangerous threat from the outside.

The rookie can pull up shots off the dribble quite consistently, making him drain most of his attempts. It will be interesting to see him share the ball with AD and James. Till then, Knecht can have all the fun in the Summer League, as fans pour their praises. Dalton has great potential but the rookie has already drawn comparisons to Jayson Tatum and his new teammate, Austin Reaves.

Twitteratis praise the Lakers rookie after a dominant performance

Tatum and Reaves both had quite positive first impressions and so is the case with Knecht. In terms of similarity, Dalton can shoot like Reaves and can score off the screen just like JT. It seems as if the Lakers bagged one of the sleepers of this year’s draft class. On the other hand, fans had nothing but respect and positive reactions toward the newcomer.  This one fan stated that the “Lakers committed theft”. For the most part, Knecht was underrated to some extent, but having shown what he can do with the ball, it just makes things better for the Lakers.

Playing with the vets, Dalton will have a lot of guidance coming his way. As this Twitterati believed that Knecht would get more “open looks” while playing alongside Bron and AD, he may not be wrong. AD is more centered on the paint, whereas James controls the perimeter. Considering that Knecht will be a backup shooter, the two can help him get open shots more often.

But out of all, this particular fan asked a pretty interesting question to all those who “didn’t think he was this good”. Now, Knecht put some solid numbers in his fourth and fifth year as a senior. Someone who has been observing him for the last two years would’ve seen this coming. He isn’t a late first-rounder nor a top-ten pick, which could’ve been the reason for his lack of publicity before his Lakers draft.

On the other hand, this Twitterati saw glimpses of “Rookie Jayson Tatum” in Knecht. Tatum was a terrific player in his rookie season. The Celtic played in the Conference Finals, going head to head against the King. While Knecht has yet to show how dominant he can be in the league, his potential does direct him in the right direction.

So far, it does seem that he would gel quite smoothly with Reaves. The two share similar shooting and scoring styles. And that is exactly what this fan was trying to state saying, “him and reaves r twins”. Of course, having two such consistent shooters on the team will create a dynamic offensive lineup. But then again, we have yet to see Knecht play with experienced players.

There’s no denying that Knecht will be one of the rookies to look out for this year. The Lakers have struggled in the past few years, trying to introduce better assets. With this first-rounder on their roster, their future is certainly looking bright. It will be interesting to see him play alongside the veterans and players like Reaves and D-Lo. What are your thoughts on the rookie? Do you think he’ll be a great fit? Let us know in the comments below.

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