The Los Angeles Lakers always seem to find a gem in the draft that becomes a staple throughout their tenure with the purple and gold. This year, they got a steal and selected Dalton Knecht with the 17th overall pick. However, he was recently involved in a trade that sent him and Cam Reddish to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Mark Williams. A few days later, the trade was rescinded after Williams failed his physical exam. This left Knecht back on the Lakers, shocked but motivated moving forward.
Lakers Dalton Knecht Motivated and “Just Wants To Hoop”
Continued Growth For Knecht
Knecht played well to start his rookie year, averaging 9.4 points and 3.0 rebounds on 36.0% shooting from beyond the arc. His points per game rank in the top 10 in the league. The small forward also tied an NBA rookie record with nine threes for a total of 37 points on November 20th against the Utah Jazz.
Following the changes to the Lakers’ roster, the rookie’s role in the rotation could change. Despite his defensive deficiencies, he should still be a prominent scorer in the second unit. Knecht re-entered the lineup for the first time since the trade on Wednesday. He played 17 minutes with the second rotation, shooting 3-7 from deep and scoring 10 points in a disappointing loss to the Jazz. This level of shooting will be a vital part of the team’s offense, complementing Dončić and LeBron James.
Moving Forward
Despite all the noise after the last few weeks, Knecht just wants to hoop and has the utmost support of his teammates and coaching staff moving forward. Following his performance against the Utah Jazz, Knecht was asked in a postgame interview about the rescinded trade:
“At the end of the day I just wanted to hoop, I told that to JJ and Rob when I got back. That was the main thing, I want to go hoop, I want to go play. They said Wednesday was my return, so I was excited to come back here and play with my guys.”
Following the Lakers game Monday, Reddick gave an update and words of support regarding the past week for Knecht,
“I spoke with him this morning, I expressed to him the empathy and grace that I will give him and have for him right now. He has, obviously, been through a whirlwind of emotion as a rookie over the last few days. We believe in the strength of the group and having him around the group today. He is, obviously, processing everything that has happened.”
Such a shock out of a trade can leave a rookie feeling a mix of emotions. With encouragement from his coaching staff and players, Knecht understands the nature of the business side of the NBA. With the newly acquired Luka Dončić, Knecht is excited about his new teammate’s elite passing. It will give him a lot of space and plenty of looks to operate as a shooter. His continued development and this bump in the road for his career will only instill more growth. We can expect Knecht to be more motivated and determined to prove his value on this team.
Desperate For Another Center
The Lakers were slim at the center position after the blockbuster trade that sent Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Dončić. This fuelled their attempt to bring in Williams at the deadline. With the trade rescinded, LA desperately signed Alex Len to add depth. With two months left until playoffs, this should be the team’s set roster.
Len, 31, provides the Lakers with much-needed depth for their frontline, joining Jaxson Hayes as positional centers. https://t.co/PqANIme1CE
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 11, 2025
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