The Los Angeles Lakers have a rocky relationship with Dalton Knecht.
Despite LeBron James expressing his love for Knecht while he was in college, the team looked to trade him midway through his rookie season.
After the trade didn't go through due to Mark Williams' failed physical, Knecht awkwardly kept playing for the Lakers, but he hasn’t looked the same since.
During this offseason, the Lakers added Jake LaRavia, the player Lake Show Life’s Svyatoslav Rovenchuk credited as the reason Knecht will soon not be on the team.
“LaRavia has been up to par with what the Lakers envisioned when they made the call to bring him in at the start of free agency,” Rovenchuk said Saturday.
“With Knecht being unable to truly flourish as a shooter with this group either, his case for stable playing time only worsens.”
“Winning games is still priority number one in Los Angeles. James will help that once he returns. LaRavia already does. Knecht has his moments, but stacked up against the people ahead of him on the depth chart, there is a lot left to be desired.”
Knecht is averaging 7.6 points per game to begin this season on 46% from the field, compared to LaRavia’s 10.2 a game on 48% from the field.
LaRavia also adds more versatility to the Lakers' rotation. He is a better off-the-dribble scorer and has some switchability on the defensive side of the ball.
Knecht hasn’t necessarily been playing badly, it’s just that LaRavia has been playing better.
His opportunity was there, but Knecht wasn’t the knock-down shooter they needed him to be.
Once James returns from his injury, it will be interesting to see how JJ Redick and the Lakers handle Knecht’s situation.
If the opportunity presents itself, don’t be surprised if they look to trade him again this deadline.
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