Former Tennessee wing Dalton Knecht took a big step forward on Wednesday night as he continues to earn the trust of head coach J.J. Redick despite just being 18 games into his rookie campaign.
Knecht began the season on the bench but did spend five games as a starter for the Lakers in November in the wake of an injury to Rui Hachimura. As Hachimura returned to the lineup, though, Knecht was moved back to the bench and struggled to keep his shooting numbers up.
The Lakers were blown out by the Suns on Tuesday night as Knecht scored just seven points on 2-of-7 shooting, nearly four points below his season average.
Redick declared after the game that he would consider making lineup changes after the loss, which resulted in putting Knecht back into the starting five on Wednesday against the Spurs.
Knecht not only had 12 more minutes on the floor but scored a team-high 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting in the Lakers’ 18-point win. The former Vol shot 53% from the floor and 40% from three-point range while also pulling down eight rebounds. Knecht’s eight rebounds are the most he has tallied in a game this season.
There’s no doubt that Knecht provided the Lakers a huge offensive spark but his rebounding is a big thing to note as well.
Knecht also seems to prefer being in the starting lineup, too. The stats back it up.
According to a post on the official Lakers Reddit page, Knecht is shooting nearly 10% higher from the floor and 9% higher from three-point range as a starter. Knecht is also averaging 19.7 points per game as a starter compared to just 7.8 points off the bench. Knecht has started six games for the Lakers and has come off the bench in 12 games.
Dalton Knecht as a starter in 6 games for the #Lakers:
19.7 PPG
5.2 RPG
55% FG (13.3 FGA)
48% 3PT (8.3 3PA) pic.twitter.com/0rZ9YGaTKs— Halftime Hoops (@_halftimehoops) November 28, 2024
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J.J. Redick putting Knecht back into the starting lineup without an injured player is a big step forward in the early parts of Knecht’s rookie season. It shows that the Lakers’ head coach sees and understands his offensive impact with more minutes on the court and has no trouble playing alongside the Lakers’ starting superstars in big moments.
Through 18 games this season, Knecht is averaging 11.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists on 50.7% shooting from the floor.
Dalton Knecht and the Los Angeles Lakers will return to the court on Friday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder at 10:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.
