LOS ANGELES – With the Los Angeles Lakers’ offense grinding to a halt recently, head coach JJ Redick made the decision to bring Dalton Knecht back into the team’s rotation. For a team that has struggled to knock down 3-point shots at times, Knecht is one of the best shooters on the team.
Part of the decision to put Dalton Knecht in the Lakers’ rotation came from his performance in the closing minutes of the team’s loss to the Detroit Pistons last week. Although the outcome of the game was already decided, Knecht scored 10 points in the final four minutes. It was among the best he’s looked this season.
Knecht was officially back in the rotation during the Lakers’ win against the Grizzlies on Friday. He did not score in 11 minutes, but his overall effort was not bad. Following Lakers’ practice on Saturday, Redick spoke about Jake LaRavia being a blueprint to follow for playing hard, and Knecht remarked how doing so has been helpful.
“He [Jake] is always in the right spots,” Knecht said. “He’s always being active on defense, using his hands, just getting up on guys. So watching Jake’s been good, it helps.”
Knecht got another stint of extended minutes during the Lakers’ second game against the Grizzlies this weekend, a 116-109 win on Sunday. He knocked down his first shot of the game, a 3-pointer early in the second quarter. But he did not score after that, and committed what almost was a costly offensive foul late in the fourth quarter as the Lakers were engineering their comeback.
Since he’s been back in the rotation, the results have varied, and it’s clear there’s more work to be done. But for Knecht, he says he knows what he needs to do and what the coaching staff has identified as being necessary to earn consistent minutes.
“Just staying locked down on the defensive end, no lapses on the defensive side,” Knecht said. “And just keep being aggressive on offense. They said the four minutes against Detroit was great. Just keep going, and they got trust in me to go out there and be in the rotation.
This season, Knecht has appeared in 28 games, including one start, at a little over 13 minutes per game. He’s averaged 5.4 points and 1.8 rebounds while shooting 45.6 percent from the field and 34.2 percent from the 3-point line. Knecht was briefly assigned to the G League with South Bay, the first such assignment of his career.
He was solid, posting a game-high 30 points while shooting 6-of-10 from the 3-point line. Knecht has never quite been able to regain the form he displayed during the first few months of his rookie year. But what is clear is that Redick and the coaching staff are trying their best to help him get back there. It’s just up to him to seize the opportunity.
