There comes a time when potential has to meet production. For Dalton Knecht, that moment might be passing, and the Los Angeles Lakers need to accept what is right in front of them. He is not ready to be in the rotation, and he does not have real trade value right now.
Knecht’s story was easy to root for. A late-bloomer with a smooth jumper and a breakout college year? That is the kind of player that fans absolutely love to believe in.
And there were flashes, the 37-point game back in November against the Utah Jazz, a few early starts, a couple of heat-check moments that gave people hope. Alas, the NBA does not run on flashes. It runs on consistency, and that has been missing from Knecht’s game for quite some time.
Dalton Knecht's dud of a Summer League that is raising big red flags
The summer league is the type of setting where players like him are supposed to prove they belong. He came into Las Vegas with a golden opportunity to prove people wrong but instead, he is just averaging 11.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Dig deeper and you can see he is shooting just 29 percent from the field and 26.7 percent from deep. For someone who was drafted to space the floor, those numbers do not move the needle, they actually raise questions.
Then, there is the defense. Or rather, the lack of it. Knecht struggles to stay in front of his man, gets lost off the ball, and has not been able to show the kind of urgency you need on that end. In today’s NBA, where wings are expected to switch, contest, and make smart rotations, he is behind the pack.
Handling the ball? That is also an issue. He is not someone who can create for himself or others under pressure. So when the shot is not falling, he simply does not bring enough elsewhere to stay on the floor.
The writing’s on the wall and the Lakers know it
This would all be easier to overlook if he were 20 or 21, but he is already 24 years old. That does not mean his window is closed, but it does mean time is tighter. This was supposed to be a summer where he looked more polished, not one where the same concerns came back even worse than before.
The Lakers have not been able to shop him around this offseason, even though they were expected to. It is clear why. Teams are not going to be lining up for a one-way player who has not shown any steps of improvement.
This is not about writing him off completely, but it is time to stop projecting and start evaluating. Right now, Knecht is not part of the solution, and pretending he is only slows the Lakers down.