Dalton Knecht figures to be a legitimate role player in the Los Angeles Lakers’ rotation in his rookie season. He was the No. 17 overall pick and the first selection for head coach JJ Redick, and embodies the type of player that generally fits well next to LeBron James. He hits the three effectively and can even make some things happen off the dribble.
But he has the same flaws that many sharpshooters, and especially rookie sharpshooters, tend to have, and that is his defense. Knecht is a relatively average-sized shooting guard that has decent athleticism, but has never been seen as a high-level defender. And with the way the Lakers struggled on that end of the floor last season, any improvements on that end would give him more opportunities in the rotation.
On the ESPN broadcast of the Lakers’ Summer League opener against the Houston Rockets on Friday night, Redick spoke about what Knecht needs to work on and what he’s been impressed with so far:
“We know he can shoot the ball,” Redick said. “I spent 30 mins with him yesterday on the court after practice with live defense, going through some actions and just working with him on creating separation. He shot pretty darn well. I know he can shoot it.
“So it’s the other parts of his game. The defense. The rebounding. The passing. Just the feel of the game that I have also been impressed with… Obviously, we know in the NBA you have to be a two-way player to make an impact, and defensively he’s got to improve like any rookie.”
Knecht would certainly like to be a major part of the rotation in his first year. As one of the older rookies selected in the 2024 NBA Draft, one of his biggest benefits is that he’s closer to NBA ready than a majority of the class.
But with the defensive struggles that took place last year behind the backcourt of D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves, the Lakers can’t afford to also have their bench guards be defensive liabilities. Knecht is not going to become an elite defender in Year 1, but he’ll need to show some improvement if he wants to play regularly.
JJ Redick leaning towards offensive sets in 2024-25
JJ Redick acknowledged that the Lakers were far more efficient offensively last season when they were running specific sets and not just playing randomly. So this season, he hopes to lean more towards that to try and maximize L.A.’s offense that showed promising signs last season.
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