The Los Ageles Lakers appeared to get a steal i the 2024 NBA Draft whe Teessee wig Dalto Kecht fell to them with the 17th overall pick.
Kecht was expected to go i the top 10, bt his age ad lack of stregth ad athleticism made him slip to the Lakers, who were happy to draft a NBA-ready player that ca shoot from deep.
Playig for the Lakers drig Smmer Leage, Kecht was able to flash some of his potetial. His offese game is very polished as he ca score from aywhere o the cort.
The lack of stregth was apparet whe fiishig at the rim thogh, ad the same cold be said for the defesive ed of the cort where Kecht strggled. It appears he ad the Lakers recogized that thogh ad worked o it the rest of the smmer as Mike Bresaha reported o Spectrms Lakeshow Podcast that Kecht has pt o some mscle ad stregth:
I did hear that Kecht has bee pttig o some mscle. So hes defiitely gettig bigger. I thoght he was already pretty good arod the rim for a gard, bt ow hes goa be bigger ad better tha what we saw the last of him several moths ago whe he was still a college kid.
If Kecht was able to pt o stregth the that will help him o the defesive ed ad fiishig at the rim. Ad if those areas of his game improve, the the Lakers really did get the steal of the draft.
It remais to be see how mch stregth he pt o ad how mch it will make a differece. Lack of stregth is ofte a hge isse for rookies eterig the leage thogh, so it is good to see Kecht address it before startig his first traiig camp with the Lakers.
Dalto Kecht may have a chace to ear rotatio mites from the jmp for the Lakers as it was recetly reported that Jarred Vaderbilt may ot be ready for the start of traiig camp de to his ligerig foot isse.
O the other had, reports have also idicated that both Ri Hachimra ad Gabe Vicet will be ready to go, which is great ews for the Lakers.
Ijries were a hge isse for L.A. a year ago so hopeflly all of these role gys, as well as LeBro James ad Athoy Davis, ca remai healthy ad o the floor i 2024-25.