Since Skip Bayless has ended ties with Fox Sports, we no longer see him giving hot takes on television. But that does not mean the veteran analyst has completely cut off from the basketball world. And he was pretty vocal on social media after the Lakers preseason opener against the Timberwolves. Obviously, with Bronny James making his debut and finishing with an underwhelming two points, Skip could not help but react. However, Dalton Knecht’s impressive performance led to him making a surprisingly bold prediction for the Lakers.

With all eyes on him, Bronny struggled to find his rhythm on offense and could make only one of his six shot attempts. Moreover, his only bucket of the night came in the final seconds when the game had already been decided in the Wolves’ favor. Reacting to the rookie’s performance, Skip tweeted, “With under a minute left, down 20, Bronny finally made his 1st NBA preseason basket – a driving lefty layup. Finished 1-6, with the crowd constantly urging him to shoot. It’s very early, but this was more Summer League as he mostly struggled awkwardly. But did have 3 blocks.”

Yes, the media veteran compared Bronny’s struggles to what happened during the Summer League when he averaged only 8.8 points and shot an abysmal 15.8% from deep range. However, Skip did see a ray of hope for the Lakers in the form of rookie Dalton Knecht, “Dalton Knecht will immediately help the Lakers. Fearlessly relentlessly confident he can score every time he touches the basketball.” Sure enough, Knecht was very impressive in his preseason debut as he went off for 16 points and showed incredible potential. Moreover, he was a career 38.3% shooter in college and that’s exactly the kind of player the Lakers were looking for.

After witnessing the two rookies’ debut and the Lakers’ overall performance without LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the media veteran tweeted, “If this Laker team could get and stay healthy, it could be very good. I’d give it a shot to win the West, though Dallas should be the favorite.”

Yes, despite Rob Pelinka not making any significant moves this summer, Skip believes the current Lakers roster might be good enough to reach the NBA Finals. Well, that would mean LeBron and AD staying healthy all year long. And key players like Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent returning at complete strength from their injuries. However, Skip still deems Luka Doncic and Co. the current frontrunners as they are the reigning West champs.

Skip Bayless claims Bronny’s performance was driving LeBron James “Crazy”

While Skip had some good things to say about the Lakers despite their loss, he continued his criticism for Bronny James through a video he posted on X, “Bronny looked pretty small out there at 6’1.5, didn’t look very athletic, three pretty awkward missed shots.” Then, he even took a dig at Daddy James, “Dad’s over there on the bench, biting the side of his lip. I’m sure it was driving him crazy tearing him apart to have to watch his son play without being able to contribute.” For context, LeBron did not play the opener as he was held out for rest.

However, Skip is still looking forward to the father-son duo creating history, “I’m holding out hope. I just wanna see Bronny and Bron on the court together. I think the kid was born to play alongside his father.” As Bronny did not get a chance to share the court with LeBron today, Skip is hoping that he gets to achieve that milestone this Sunday when the Lakers take on the Suns. Sure enough, it will be a historic moment for the entire league and maybe, it will also help Bronny find his groove on the court. What are your thoughts?