Being a teammate of LeBron James has historically come with a lot of baggage, and through his rookie season, Dalton Knecht on the Los Angeles Lakers got the full experience.
Knecht was nearly traded from the Lakers last year, but after a failed physical from Charlotte Hornets‘ big man Mark Williams, Knecht stayed in Los Angeles. Now, with his name circulating in trade rumors and differing reports about his future, the second-year wing returns to the Lakers with an even stronger microscope on both himself and the value he brings to the team.
Speaking to The Athletic on Knecht and his development, Lakers head coach JJ Redick gave an honest outlook on the 24-year-old from Tennessee.
“It’s the other stuff (besides offense) that he’s got to just do and find that consistency in his defense, on being the low man, or boxing out, or crashing every time or sprinting back and actually talking in transition,” Redick said of Knecht, according to Dan Woike. “When he’s doing those things, he’s an impact player.”
Knecht averaged 9.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.8 assists on 46.1% shooting in 78 games for Los Angeles last season.
Redick And Others Evaluating Knecht
The shooting wing came to a Lakers team with a ton of attention, and following the Luka Doncic trade for Anthony Davis, that attention has only grown over the past eight months.
Now entering his second season with Doncic, James, and Austin Reaves, questions remain on whether Knecht can be the impactful player many believed he could be when evaluating him as a draft prospect.
An unnamed talent evaluator said to The Athletic, Knecht still “has to figure out who he is at this level,” specifically referring to his defensive effort.
The rookie saw a drop in playing time as last season went on, capped with just four total minutes of postseason action in the Lakers’ first-round series loss. While that could be due to his slower development on the defense end of the floor, Redick still feels confident in Knecht’s game offensively.
After just a few recent late summer workouts, Redick believes Knecht has the potential to be an impactful scorer at some point in his career.
“We probably met three times over the summer, met again in September, like it’s clear what he’s supposed to do,” Redick said. “Those three practices, our video room and our analytics guys, they tracked every stat in live play. He had an unbelievable three days offensively. I’m very confident (that) when he’s confident, he’s a high-level offensive player in the NBA.”
While his offensive skillset was on display in college, Redick and teammate Rui Hachimura both said Knecht, as well as the team as a whole, has some room for improvement on defense.
“I don’t think this is just a Dalton thing. This is every player,” Redick said.
“You got to find your role of how you can fit on a team,” Hachimura added.
Lakers Potential Lineup For 2025-26
While Knecht has been slowly developing into a more impactful player, the Lakers aren’t necessarily waiting on him for them to make a playoff push.
Over the summer, they added Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart, and Jake LaRavia, as well as bringing back some of their other wing depth. Ayton and Smart will hold big roles defensively for Los Angeles this upcoming season, an issue that was the team’s ultimate downfall in the 2025 playoffs.
Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt are also expected to play a large part for the Lakers this year. Hachimura has found more success offensively, while Vanderbilt has proven to be a more worthy defender, meaning, depending on the situation and score, Redick will likely put them on the court for their specific skillset.
Gabe Vincent and Smart will likely play in backup guard roles behind Doncic and Reaves. Both have deep experience and are hopeful to be successful in a reserve role behind the two offensive stars.
With that rotation, even with James likely playing fewer minutes compared to previous years as he continues to age, it leaves little room for Knecht to find minutes. He started in a total of 18 games last year, but that will prove more difficult as the team has beefed up its supporting cast.
As Woike wrote, Knecht’s future is still in question, but as he remains a valuable trade asset, his development would be beneficial for both himself and the Lakers.
“Knecht can be a valued piece of the team’s rotation, a young player with size, athleticism and sweet shooting touch with the physicality to compete on the defensive end,” he wrote. “That kind of player would be valued in the locker room as much as they would be in hypothetical trade calls.”
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