Dalton Knecht finds himself in an interesting position with the Los Angeles Lakers, as he has yet to solidify a role for himself this season.
After being a part of that rescinded trade to the Charlotte Hornets, Knecht’s confidence was clearly shaken. As a shooter of his caliber, confidence is vital to providing production as a spacer, but it never returned last season.
To begin his sophomore season, there was a belief that Knecht would be in a better headspace. Yet through preseason and spot minutes, he has not looked like the lethal shooter he once was as a rookie.
However, NBA players have to stay ready and the Lakers have gone through their fair share of struggles. With the L.A. remaining last in bench scoring, head coach JJ Redick opted to dig deeper for answers and Knecht was that.
Prior to Friday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies, Redick revealed the former No. 17 pick would receive an opportunity in the rotation after recently being out of it.
“Yeah, Dalton will get a look tonight and he’ll get a look for the foreseeable future,” Redick said.
While having an offensive punch off the bench is the dream, the second-year coach is not looking solely for points, but he wants Knecht to play hard on both ends in his minutes.
“Play hard,” Redick said of what Knecht’s focus should be. “That’s been the biggest point of emphasis for him all season. He’s not gonna be judged on whether he makes or misses shots, but that helps. When you go through a stretch where you feel like your team isn’t playing hard, you gotta play the guys that are consistently playing hard. I think he’s had some really good moments already this season and I think for him, probably the next week or so, he’s gonna have consistent playing time and consistent opportunities.”
In 11 minutes against the Grizzlies, the 6’6″ forward did not score and the only stat he recorded was a turnover. But, he was a plus-8 on the court and that is typically not the case when he is not making shots.
Obviously, re-establishing his stroke as a shooter remains a high priority if Knecht hopes to find consistent minutes. Redick is willing to give him more spot minutes, so this is his chance to show his coach he can help this team.
If the 24-year-old can demonstrate his willingness to do other things outside of scoring, it will help him in the long run to securing playing time.
JJ Redick maintains ‘very high belief’ in Dalton Knecht
Stock in Knecht feels like it is at an all-time low right now after seeing him drop 37 points last season. He has had plenty of struggles since, but having a belief system around him is vital.
It starts at the top with head coach and Redick shared that he is maintaining a very high belief in Knecht. Hopefully within this next week or so, he can establish himself once again.
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