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Dalton Knecht is enjoying a strong start to life in the NBA. The Los Angeles Lakers rookie was selected with the 17th pick in the 2024 NBA draft. Furthermore, he\u2019s already started five games for JJ Redick\u2019s team.<\/p>\n
Knecht, 23, is averaging 11.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists on 62% shooting from two-point range and 45% shooting from deep. He is plugging a role that has been hindering the Lakers for multiple years.<\/p>\n
In a recent edition of Marc Stein\u2019s \u2018The SteinLine Newsletter,\u2019 the veteran reporter shared a snippet from his conversation with a \u2018trusted scout\u2019 regarding Knecht\u2019s hot start.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Lakers are a perfect fit for him \u2014 if he keeps making shots when LeBron passes to him,\u201d Stein wrote. \u201cWe have seen it for many years: As long as you make shots, LeBron will like you. He\u2019s also got AD [Anthony Davis] to protect him defensively and JJ [Redick] is a great coach for him because, as a player, JJ was him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Knecht is earning the trust of his teammates. He\u2019s also knocking on the door for a consistent role in the starting unit. Considering he\u2019s only 16 games into his NBA career, the Lakers could have unearthed a future star.<\/p>\n
LeBron James Happy Lakers Landed Knecht<\/strong><\/p>\n On Tuesday, Nov. 19, Knecht scored 37 points against the Utah Jazz. He shot 12-of-16 from the field and drained 75% of his three-point attempts. During his postgame interview, LeBron James praised Knecht and admitted he\u2019s glad the rookie is on the Lakers.<\/p>\n \u201cSame s**t I said last year,\u201d James said. \u201cEverybody on the internet calls me a liar all the time, so, what am I now? I\u2019ve been saying it. I watched him a lot, and I watched Tennessee a lot. I didn\u2019t think he would fall to us, I thought it would be impossible. And, I have no idea how that happened. But, I\u2019m grateful and very happy that he\u2019s here.\u201d<\/p>\n The Lakers have needed a true sharpshooter for years. LeBron and Anthony Davis are at their best when there\u2019s sufficient floor spacing around them. Knecht can score off the catch or on the move. As such, Redick will likely feel comfortable drawing up plays that maximize the rookie\u2019s gravity.<\/p>\n Opposing Teams Messed Up by Passing on Knecht<\/strong><\/p>\n During the same postgame news conference, LeBron took aim at the 16 teams that picked ahead of the Lakers. LeBron\u2019s stance is that Knecht shouldn\u2019t have fallen to the Lakers midway through the first round.<\/p>\n \u201cThey [Lakers front office] didn\u2019t \u2018find\u2019 DK,\u201d James told reporters. \u201cThe other 16 teams [expletive] it up. Did anybody watch him? [Expletive]. They just didn\u2019t [expletive] it up. You don\u2019t \u2018find\u2019 a SEC Player of the Year.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Regardless of how Knecht ended up in Los Angeles, the Lakers will undoubtedly be excited about his future with the franchise. He has already shown he\u2019s more than just a sharpshooter. Knecht will undoubtedly improve in the coming years. If the Lakers trust his development and continue to give him minutes, he could become a vital part of their rotation.<\/p>\n Rob Pelinka may like to flip young talents for established stars, but keeping the rookie around long-term may be in his and the Laker\u2019s best interests.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dalton Knecht is enjoying a strong start to life in the NBA. The Los Angeles Lakers rookie was selected with the 17th pick in the 2024 NBA… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10967,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\n