The Los Angeles Lakers found a gem in the 2024 NBA Draft when they landed Dalton Knecht with the No. 17 overall pick.
Knecht’s slide was surprising given his success at the collegiate level, and he’s making teams pay for passing up on him with his play so far during the 2024-25 season. Knecht’s best attribute right now is his outside shooting and he’s already established himself as the Lakers’ best 3-point shooter because of his ability to spot up or shoot on the move.
Knecht’s offensive game forced head coach JJ Redick’s hand as he was considering re-inserting the rookie into the starting lineup and officially made the move in Los Angeles’ recent game against the San Antonio Spurs. The move paid off as Knecht helped the Lakers snap their losing streak thanks to a solid scoring effort, and he looks like he’ll be entrenched in the starting lineup going forward.
The rookie has been turning heads around the league and his play this season prompted former players like Kevin Garnett to declare him the NBA Rookie of the Year, via KG Certified:
“That boy Knecht is crackin’,” Garnett said. “I know I’m jumping the line, but Rookie of the Year for Dalton? Ain’t no rookie doing what he’s doing. He’s the third option in front of Austin Reaves and all that s—. Yeah, I said it.”
Garnett knows a thing or two about scoring given his success during his playing days, and it sounds like he’s taken notice of how important the rookie is to the Lakers’ offense. While Austin Reaves has assumed more on-ball responsibility this season, there’s a credible argument to be made that Knecht is indeed the third scoring option behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Even when Knecht isn’t scoring the basketball, his presence on the floor forces defenses to respect him and thus opens up room for the rest of the team to operate. He’s also an excellent cutter who has a natural feel for getting into open space for easy dunks and layups.
Knecht may have fallen in the draft due to his age, but the rest of the league has to be kicking themselves for letting him slide to Los Angeles. Although there’s plenty of regular season left to play, Knecht already looks like a piece the franchise can lean on long-term.
JJ Redick seeing defensive improvement from Dalton Knecht
While all the attention has been on Dalton Knecht’s offense, his defense remains a work in progress. There are several instances throughout games where teams try to target the rookie, but JJ Redick noted he’s seen improvement from Knecht on that end.
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