Is Dalton Knecht playing tonight against Golden State Warriors? Latest on Lakers rookie's status for Summer League

Dalton Knecht is expected to play for the LA Lakers tonight against the Golden State Warriors. Knecht played 26 minutes in his California Classic Summer League debut on Saturday. He struggled with his shot but still finished in double-digit scoring.

Knecht started the game at shooting guard alongside Bronny James, who manned the point. The Tennessee product finished with 12 points, two rebounds, four assists and two steals while going 3-for-12 from the field. He also shot 1-for-4 from beyond the arc and 5-for-9 from the charity stripe.

It was not a great performance for the No. 17 pick, but that was expected since it was his very first game. There were likely some nerves that played some kind of factor, but it was an overall solid outing.

According to LA Lakers beat reporter Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet, Dalton Knecht was not worried about his cold start to the Summer League. Knecht was just happy to be back on the court for the first time since March, when he was still playing for the Tennessee Volunteers.

The 23-year-old swingman was alright with the shots he got, but he was a little disappointed that he missed most of them. He liked the way he moved during plays and was able to get to his spots with ease.

Knecht is fresh off from leading the Volunteers to the Elite 8 for the first time since 2010, eventually losing to the Purdue. He then declared for the NBA draft, wherein he was a consensus Top 10 pick. However, he slid down in the draft and was picked up by the LA Lakers with the No. 17 pick.

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Dalton Knecht is LeBron James' favorite player besides Bronny James last season

Dalton Knecht is LeBron James' favorite player besides Bronny James last season. (Photo: IMAGN)

LeBron James loves basketball so much that he watches the NCAA season despite being in the middle of the NBA season. James supported USC since his son Bronny played for them.

In addition to Bronny, "The King" loved watching Dalton Knecht and did not expect him to be available to the LA Lakers at No. 17. He showed his admiration for Knecht in his press conference for Team USA on Saturday.

"Throughout the course of the college season Dalton, besides Bronny, was my favorite player in college basketball. I've watched his game throughout the whole season. I just liked his ability to shoot the ball, his athleticism, his height, the demeanor that he plays with. I've always kind of felt like his game would translate to the NBA. I did not think he would fall to 17 at all, so I didn't even think we would get the opportunity to get him. I'm glad he did, so looking forward to that," James said.