“Throughout the course of the college season, Dalton, besides Bronny, was my favorite player,” LeBron James said, following the Lakers‘ NBA Draft performance. Well, these aren’t just words thrown around for the sake of it. Considering the locker room turmoil that they went through in the last few seasons, this could be a well-thought-out decision. Moreover, the team’s HC JJ Redick seems to have brought everything under control before the start of the season, as the rookie dropped an interesting locker room update.

During Darvin Ham’s tenure at the LakeShow, the locker room went through a series of grimy affairs. Especially when Westbrook joined the side, the former MVP’s inclusion was done at the cost of KCP and Kyle Kuzma, leaving a huge dent before making his way to the Clippers. Similarly, Ham’s coaching style created a turbulent situation, which forced the rumor mills to speculate about LeBron James’ exit. Nevertheless, before we go into the details of it, let’s find out how the LA side has transformed post-Redick’s inclusion.

When JJ Redick took over the office, he promised that he’d rebuild the Lakers roster and focus more on ‘player development’. Literally, those words have become buzzwords in the community since then. Moreover, a report states that LeBron James and Co. considered signing Redick in 2020 or 2021, as a player, to strengthen the roster. “Early in James’ L.A. tenure, the Lakers inquired about trading with New Orleans for Redick but nothing developed, sources told ESPN,” Dave McMenamin wrote.

Nevertheless, now the LA side has almost achieved what it set out to do. At least, that’s what the rookie, Dalton Knecht said. ESPN LA got hold of the Tennessee sensation on Media Day and asked an important question. The crew asked him whether the veterans had begun to give the rookies ‘a hard time’. Instantly, the 23-year-old said, “Not yet. I hope not, I hope that’s it, I hope this is how it is.”

“I’m just going to be there to do whatever the team needs me to do. If that’s just play right away and contribute. I’m going to do that. If not, I’ll just try to learn from all the vets and see how they see the floor and yeah I’m just going to be excited to do my rookie year,” Dalton Knecht explained after being asked about his expectations in the Purple and Gold. While the hooper might’ve gotten away with the pestering, Bronny James did face a bit of the classic rookie treatment from his dad on Media Day.

Jokes apart, the Lakers seemed to have moved away from their past troubles.

Lakers’ locker room troubles before the Bronny James – Dalton Knecht era

Following the 2020 championship glory, the Lakers haven’t made a significant impact in the postseason, except for reaching the Conference Finals in 2o24. And, they lost it 0-4 to the Nuggets. However, the locker room went through a bit of a testing time. It began during Russell Westbrook’s brief stay. The star point guard definitely wasn’t impressed with his role. Eventually, it reflected in the locker room. While it remained under the rug for some time, it suddenly blew up when an anonymous player described the situation.

ESPN Dave McMenamin’s report read, “As one source told me, ‘You remove a vampire from the locker room.’ That meaning a vampire sucks the blood out of the locker room and Russell Westbrook moves on.” However, the situation came under control after the hooper’s exit in the 2023 trade deadline. The players weren’t impressed by Darvin Ham’s decision to find a suitable starting lineup for the side. Nevertheless, with JJ Redick in place, let’s hope that the Lakers locker room stays in tune with the head coach.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.