Dalton Knecht's LeBron Snub Resurfaces After Draft

The Los Angeles Lakers had the 17th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Some fans were hoping for a trade for a veteran who could contribute immediately rather than taking a flyer on a rookie. Once Dalton Knecht out of Tennessee fell to them, however, it was an easy decision for the Lakers. As NBA-ready of a prospect as they come, the 23-year-old Knecht has a great chance of cracking the rotation next season with his elite shooting ability.

LeBron James usually gets along very well with sharpshooters. As one of the best ever in creating open shots for his teammates, James has an affinity for players who can knock them down. Therefore, Knecht may seem like a natural fit next to the 39-year-old. However, a pre-draft video that just resurfaced online suggests that Knecht and LeBron may have a few things that they need to iron out.

As part of a series of pre-draft interviews with the prospects, the SLAM magazine asked Knecht a few rapid-fire questions. One of those was who the best NBA player of all-time was. The Lakers rookie doesn't hesitate before saying Kevin Durant.

Perhaps it's understandable that a sharpshooter like Knecht considers one of the best shooters of all-time to be the greatest player ever. Durant was completely unstoppable in his prime and was arguably the best offensive player in the league for a long time. In terms of scoring, Durant being the best ever is an arguable position.

Durant being better than LeBron, however, is difficult to argue. The two players were in their primes at the same time for a while, and other than KD's three years in Golden State, James has dominated the league in that span. He made eight consecutive and 10 total NBA Finals while winning four titles. He has 20 All-Star and All-NBA appearances, four MVPs, and four Finals MVPs.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion of course and what one thinks about who the GOAT is doesn't matter at the end of the day. We can still be curious, however, as to how LeBron reacted when he first found out his new teammate prefers his long-time rival over him.

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