Dalton Knecht’s NBA career hasn’t gone as planned.
Although the Tennessee product has the potential to be a valuable piece on a contending franchise, he's yet to put it all together (granted, he’s only in his second year, but it doesn’t look good thus far).
On Tuesday, Lakers head JJ Redick revealed that Knecht isn’t currently competing with the 17-time NBA champions.
“When we first kind of talked about it (sending Knecht to the G-League) as a staff, we ran it by RP (Rob Pelinka). RP had communicated to Dalton and his agents early before we kind of made the final decision,” Redick said, according to ClutchPoints' David Yapkowitz.
“I just told him, he needs to play. He's gonna get opportunities on this team. He’s already had some opportunities, played well in some. He’s gonna help us at some point. Right now, he needs to play, and he needs to have fun playing.”
Essentially, Knecht was demoted by Redick, Pelinka, and the Lakers, which should allow him to work out some of his kinks before eventually returning to the big leagues.
Knecht is a one-trick pony at the moment, as the former No. 17 overall pick’s game is predicated on successful isolation possessions and serviceable perimeter shooting.
The 24-year-old doesn’t move well without the ball, rebounds decently at his position, consistently finds the open man while attracting multiple defenders, or defends at a high enough level to earn regular minutes on Redick’s squad.
Knecht is averaging 6.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.6 assists per game this season while shooting 46.6% from the field and 37.3% from beyond the arc.
It would be in Knecht’s best interest to maximize his opportunity with the South Bay Lakers in the NBA’s developmental league.
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