The Los Angeles Lakers front office faces a lot of pressure this summer as they look to improve the roster to get superstar Luka Doncic to sign an extension. With the free agent market already drying up, a team may be the best path to improvement at this point and Dalton Knecht is the most valuable trade chip on the Lakers roster.
Knecht fell to L.A. with the 17th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, bringing an upper-echelon movement shooter to the organization. As an older rookie at 24-years-old, Knecht was presumed to be more NBA-ready, but there were struggles in terms of shooting consistency and perimeter defense in his first season.
Regardless, Knecht still had scoring outbursts that translated into wins and the hope remains he will continue to grow through repetitions. With Summer League looming, the expectation is the former Tennessee Volunteer will suit up for the Lakers as he prepares for his sophomore season, via Khobi Price of the Southern California News Group:
Knecht will play for the Lakers’ summer league team for the second consecutive season alongside a quad that’s expected to feature fellow 2024 draftee Bronny James, 2025 second-round pick Adou Thiero and former Villanova star Eric Dixon, who recently signed a two-way contract with the Lakers.
“Just showing what I can do,” Knecht said of summer league. “Feel like I kind of showed a little bit throughout my rookie year, but just keep building on top of that.”
Now that free agency is underway, general manager Rob Pelinka was outspoken about his desire to upgrade the roster, so it’s possible that Knecht is playing elsewhere by the time Summer League starts.
Nevertheless, Summer League kicks off for the purple and gold on July 5 with the California Classic before heading to Las Vegas on July 10. Assuming Knecht is not traded, he will have an opportunity to showcase what he can bring as a sophomore and potentially display growth in his game.
Ultimately, he needs to take leaps as a more consistent 3-point shooter and at least become a better individual and team defender. Whether he remains in L.A. or not, running it back in Summer League provides meaningful reps to Knecht’s development. Considering how talented his is offensively, there’s no doubt that Knecht will shine against Summer League competition and as is the case with a lot of other sophomores, the goal is to get shut down after a few impressive performances.
Dalton Knecht wants to improve all-around game this offseason
A road block that Dalton Knecht ran into during his rookie season was that he struggled mightily on defense. If he was not making his shots, opposing teams attacked him on the other end, which forced head coach JJ Redick’s hand.
However, Knecht is eager to improve his all-around game this offseason and hopefully those improvements showcases during his second Summer League stint.
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