After a disappointing start to the summer, Dalton Knecht turned it around in the fourth quarter against the Spurs.
Second-year players, especially first-round picks, are expected not only to perform well in Summer League, but to thrive and dominate. That was not the case for the majority of the three-game California Classic for Dalton Knecht as the known shooter and scorer severely struggled.
In the final game against the Spurs, Knecht erupted for 25 points, including 15 in the fourth. It gives him some positive momentum and reveals how he can get into an offensive rhythm when the shot isn’t falling.
The Tennessee product was just 5-20 in the first two games, while missing all nine of his 3-point attempts. On Tuesday, he kicked off eight quick points against the Spurs in the first quarter, going 3-5 from the field, before quickly missing five of his next six.
Compensating for two poor performances in a row, Knecht pushed to get his offense going. His sole focus on scoring gave rise to difficult passes and turnovers, as shown below. Without reading the defensive coverage, the Spurs blitzed the ball screen, resulting in Knecht committing the cardinal sin of jumping to pass, which caused a turnover.
His attacks were uncalibrated, driving right into the traffic of defenders, causing him to be bumped off his spot and forced to give up the basketball as a last resort.
While acknowledging that players use this time and minutes to expand their skills and experiment in their game, an out-of-rhythm Knecht’s shot selection wandered far outside his usual range. He took a long, pull-up, off-the-bounce three in isolation and forced tough shots like the one-legged fade below.
He turned things around in the fourth, getting himself going by contributing in different areas. The Lakers know Knecht can put up points fundamentally, but one summer evaluation will be what he can do beyond scoring.
He begins the final frame by playing defense. Yes, defense, something not usually synonymous with Knecht, but necessary for survival in any real minutes next season.
While picking up full court, and the Lakers down by 12, Knecht gets a deflection that is ruled out of bounds off the Spurs. On the very next offensive possession, he sneaks in for an offensive rebound and secures the put-back, his first field goal of the second half.
Knecht showed more patience and poise in his fourth-quarter attacks, reading where the defensive help came from. After grabbing another offensive rebound, he drives baseline on the slower-footed defender, draws attention, passes to Sir’Jabari Rice, who attacks and is awarded free throws.
Now in an offensive flow, Knecht can do what he’s best at, shooting the basketball. With a little over two minutes to play and the team down nine, he walks into a practice rhythm pull-up three.
He follows that up with a corner splash in transition to cut the deficit to three.
To complete the double-digit comeback, the Lakers put the ball in Knecht’s hands with under 20 seconds remaining, down by one. His final drive forces the shot blocker to come over, leading to a Darius Bazley put-back for the go-ahead basket.
Knecht will be in the league due to his shooting and scoring ability, but finding ways to stay involved and draw attention when he’s having an off night will be key to how he develops and stays in rhythm not just this summer but also potentially with the Lakers next season.
Possessing a shaky handle at best, he depends heavily on outside creation, where the Lakers have a wealth of talent with Luka Dončić, LeBron James and Austin Reaves. Supporting players need ways to contribute even when their shots aren’t falling.
After a disappointing showing to start the summer, Knecht displayed in the fourth against the Spurs that he has alternative ways to still contribute and get his offense going, even if it doesn’t look like what we expected from the second-year guard.
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