The LA Lakers are off to a shaky start to their JJ Redick era, losing 4 of their 6 preseason games. At the same time, they seemed to be certain about something, the youth movement. Dalton Knecht has already proved why he should be on the roster. Similarly, Bronny James, Quincy Olivari, and a few others also made their presence felt. While everyone thought the LA side was on the right track, Redick has made an unexpected statement, although indirectly, about the team’s draft selection, joking about the Suns‘ rookie star.

The Valley side drafted two first-round picks, DaRon Holmes II (22nd) and Ryan Dunn (28th). It’s the 21-year-old guard, Dunn, who’s stood out of the lot especially, with his perimeter shooting. On the other hand, JJ Redick has publicly stated his team’s need to attempt more 3-pointers. The Lakers selected Dalton Knecht with the 17th pick and the 23-year-old is indeed an impressive three-point shooter.

In the preseason game against the Suns, Knecht dropped 20 points in a row and a three-pointer over Bol Bol to force the game to overtime. Despite the brilliance, Redick has, jokingly, but still made a weird comment about not picking Dunn. Speaking to the media, JJ said, “Had I known, that Ryan Dunn was a 45% [3-point] shooter, I think our draft board would’ve looked a little bit different.”

Moreover, the Lakers HC didn’t stop at that. The rookie boss went on to praise Ryan Dunn, unknowingly dampening Dalton Knecht’s draft selection and 18 points average alongside 43.6% shooting from the field in the preseason. The 40-year-old added, “He’s been awesome. I think it stood out to watch the film and obviously, I saw him in person from a proximity. He’s got a high level of confidence.” While Bronny James’ rookie pal has been quite efficient, let’s find out how the LA Lakers missed out on Ryan Dunn. 

Why has Ryan Dunn stunned everyone in preseason, including JJ Redick?

Well, we can’t blame the Lakers scout for missing out on Ryan Dunn, if they did. Notably, the scouting report had an entirely different story about the guard ahead of the NBA Draft. The report stated him as a defense-dominant player, with impressive athleticism and the ability to collect rebounds. The 6 ‘8 guard ranked 16th in the country for most blocks in his last college year, averaging 2.3 blocks a game. To top it all, he was named to the ACC All-Defensive Team and won the Naismith Men’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Nowhere in the report, his shooting ability was highlighted. Ryan Dunn made 7/35 three-point attempts in his final college year in Virginia! However, in this preseason stint, the hooper has taken 7+ attempts per game from deep range. Truly a massive change.

For argument’s sake, JJ Redick could’ve had another reason why he should’ve selected Ryan Dunn over Dalton Knecht. The guard can defend. Looking at the Lakers’ roster, they don’t really have a strong perimeter defense. The Virginia alum’s addition could’ve been a massive help. Importantly, in the last game against the Suns, Dalton Knecht clearly looked clueless at the defensive end.

So what do you think? Did the Lakers make a big mistake of not picking Ryan Dunn? Let us know.

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.