Los Angeles Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht was looking like one of the steals of the 2024 draft to begin the year, shooting the ball at a high level.
As is the case with most rookies though, Knecht has struggled in recent weeks, perhaps hitting a bit of a rookie wall. As he works his way through this slump, one thing that is clear is that Knecht has not lost confidence in himself.
“Just keep it the same,” Knecht said of his mindset. “Me and my dad always said, ‘You walk in the gym, you know you’re the best shooter.’ So that’s just my mindset. I’m gonna walk in there, know I’m the best shooter, and then make or miss, next shot’s always going in.”
With the All-Star break just around the corner, Knecht will certainly be in the mix to be selected for the Rising Stars game. And this year, the winner of that game will actually get to play in the NBA All-Star Game due to its new format.
Knecht is the exact type of player that could thrive on a stage like that, but he told us he has not thought about it… yet.
“Nah, I haven’t really though about it. I’m pretty sure now I will think about it now. I’m not sure, I’ll think about it next time,” Knecht said with a smile.
Knecht isn’t exactly a shoe-in to be chosen just yet, but he is in the top 10 when it comes to rookie scoring so a couple more big games could have him on the radar.
Still though, his focus is on trying to do things to help the Lakers win games.
“Staying with a positive mindset, always going out there and giving my best, shooting the ball, playing defense, grabbing rebounds and stuff like that. So, just making sure do those little things.”
Knecht is shooting just 17.7% from 3-point range in his last 18 games and the Laker offense has struggled as a result. There’s no doubt that he’s putting in the work though, so the tide should be turning for Knecht real soon.
Lakers guard Gabe Vincent never loses confidence in jump shot
Gabe Vincent has gone through similar ups and downs as Dalton Knecht during his time with the Lakers. They share a similar mindset though in never losing their confidence.
“I think there’s a lot of noise around this game. I think there’s a lot of noise around this organization within this league. But I don’t think there’s anything I’ve done more in my life than shoot a basketball. So that’s gonna be the last thing I lose confidence on,” Vincent said.
“I’ve taken thousands and thousands of shots over the course of my career and I know I’m a good shooter. I know I’m capable of shooting the ball, I’ve made big shots in big games. I’ve missed shots too, that’s how the game goes. But the confidence itself never really wavers.”
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