Los Angeles Lakers forward Dalton Knecht has the most to prove this season out of everyone on the roster, outside of Luka Doncic, who will prove if he can be the face of the franchise, especially with LeBron’s absence due to his recovery from injury.
Knecht has only been on the team for one season. Why would he have anything to prove? That’ll be broken down in this article.
Knecht’s First Season With Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers drafted Dalton Knecht 17th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. As a rookie, he averaged 9.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.8 assists while playing 19.2 minutes per game. His shooting percentages were solid, at 46.1% from the field and 37.6% from three-point range.
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His best game occurred against the Utah Jazz on November 19th, 2024. In that game, he scored 37 points on 12 of 16 shooting and tied an NBA record for 9 3-pointers made while scoring 21 points in a row at a time during the game.
Dalton Knecht Analysis
Dalton Knecht has a lot of athletic ability, standing at 6’6 and weighing 215 pounds. Knecht does a good job of shooting the ball off a screen and is great from three.
Defenders who try to go under the screen as opposed to fighting over, give Knecht a good bit of space to shoot, and if it’s not contested, he has a high chance of making it. Knecht can score from anywhere on the court, which makes him a versatile player.
Why does Dalton Knecht have the most to prove?
While Dalton Knecht is a really good offensive player, he hasn’t been the best on defense in totality, but he did have a 117.9 Def Rating in 2024-25.
Knecht has the prowess to be a better defender, especially with his size and athleticism. But due to some of his deficiencies on defense and inconsistent play, he was subject to the possibility of being dealt, and was even traded to the then Charlotte Hornets and now Phoenix Suns center Mark Williams last season, but the trade didn’t go through, and Knecht was back on the team.
This preseason, Knecht averaged 8.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 6 games played.
Dalton Knecht has a great opportunity to prove that he deserves to be an LA Laker and play viable minutes. Now that LeBron is out with an injury for an extended period of time, Knecht’s role will increase.
Will he prove the doubters wrong and remain in LA? The Lakers will face the Warriors in the first game of the season on Tuesday.
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