The Los Angeles Lakers knew they needed to make some type of change after losing three consecutive games, two of them in blowout fashion to other Western Conference contenders. Head coach JJ Redick’s opted-for change was to bring Dalton Knecht back to the starting lineup instead of Cam Reddish against the San Antonio Spurs.
This move was effectively an announcement that the Lakers are going to lean fully into an offense-first identity instead of trying to mold their team into a defense-first one. And Knecht responded immediately. He finished with a team-high 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds on an efficient 8-for-15 shooting night.
The Lakers got the win, 119-101, and ended the three-game skid. And after the game, Knecht spoke about the messaging from Redick and his staff after being moved back into the starting lineup in an interview with Mike Trudell of Spectrum SporstNet:
“Pretty much, he told me that I’m gonna start and ‘just be you.’ Just be aggressive with the ball and whether he said that or not, I was going to go do that.”
Knecht went 4-for-10 from 3-point range but was effective from inside the arc as well. And that was no surprise to the Lakers rookie, who is ready to show that he is more than just a shooter:
“I’m not just a straight shooter. I’m a three-level scorer, I think I showed that in college. So I just keep going out there and shooting the midrange, shooting floaters, getting to the rim and dunking, laying it up. Not only just that, playing out of the pick-and-roll and hit my bigs for easy layups.”
Knecht has proven very early on that he can be an effective three-level scorer, and it has been enoough to earn him a legitimate spot in the starting lineup, not just due to injury. The Lakers seem to be at their best with Knecht on the floor next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and they are leaning into that after 17 games.
Now, the Lakers can see if Knecht in the starting lineup works against a serious test in the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.
Anthony Davis pleased with Lakers’ bounce-back
The Lakers got back in the win column on Wednesday night in relatively comfortable fashion. They didn’t lose a single quarter and were in control nearly the entire way, fending off Spurs runs regularly and without needing any one player to be a hero.
Anthony Davis needed only 19 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists to secure the win. Knecht was the leading scorer with 20 points. It was a balanced effort and a near wire-to-wire victory off of the back of a frustrating three-game losing streak.
The Lakers had gotten killed by the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets prior, and began the streak with a loss to the Orlando Magic in the final seconds. So Davis was certainly happy that the Lakers were able to bounce back and get a road win in San Antonio.
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