LeBron James and Anthony Davis representing the Los Angeles Lakers during All-Star Weekend is pretty much a foregone conclusion most years. But in 2025, they won’t be alone as rookie Dalton Knecht was named to the player pool for the 2025 Rising Stars Challenge.
Knecht was one of 10 rookies selected to participate in the event during All-Star Weekend. The Rising Stars Challenge has the four-team, mini-tournament format that was adopted for the All-Star Game itself this year so there is a chance that Knecht could face off with his Lakers teammates should his squad be successful.
But while Knecht is proud of this accomplishment, the Lakers rookie remains more focused on the season itself and his team’s success, as seen on Spectrum SportsNet:
“It means a lot, it’s a good accomplishment. At the same time, it’s just the Rising Stars game. I’m more focused on the season than anything.”
Knecht has shown that, while confident in his abilities, he is a humble person who just wants to do anything he can to help his team win games. So it’s really no surprise that the Rising Stars Challenge isn’t something he’s really focused on, especially as the Lakers continue to try and get better as a team.
The rookie is simply focused on trying to be the best version of Knecht that he can be:
“Just try to be the best version of myself on the court. Space the floor, shoot the ball, rebound and just like that. Try to learn off my vets, really. That’s about it.”
The highs and lows of being a rookie in the NBA are gonna come, but Knecht continues to put in the work and try to contribute any way he can. He has quietly been playing well recently and had his best offensive night in weeks against the Philadelphia 76ers, finishing with 24 points while knocking down 5-of-8 from 3-point range.
His abilities as a shooter and scorer are something the Lakers need and right now that is far more important to Knecht than any All-Star Weekend festivities.
Lakers’ Anthony Davis to be re-evaluated in one week with abdominal strain
The Lakers will be even more in need of Dalton Knecht’s scoring as the team will be without superstar Anthony Davis for at least a week.
Davis left the Lakers’ loss to the Sixers early because of the injury and an MRI confirmed an abdominal muscle strain. The Lakers announced they will re-evaluate Davis in a week, but with the All-Star break coming up soon, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the team kept him out until then to ensure he is fully healed for the stretch run.
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