When the Los Angeles Lakers lost Game 5 to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the formula for disaster felt all too familiar. Los Angeles received 92 points and 19 assists from its starting lineup, but ultimately failed to muster the remaining 11 points to close the gap, thus falling 103-96.
It was the epitome of what went wrong during JJ Redick's first season at the helm: A fair prioritization of defense that ultimately came at the expense of the offense they needed.
Los Angeles finished the 2024-25 regular season ranked No. 29 in bench points per game and No. 30 in bench points per 100 possessions. It was a flaw that the Lakers failed to adequately acknowledge at any point before or after the trade deadline.
That inaction inevitably haunted them during the playoffs, as the Lakers' reserves combined to score just 11.0 points per game—the lowest mark of any postseason team in 2025.
The front office shoulders a significant portion of the blame, but head coach JJ Redick's strategy must be acknowledged, as well. He justifiably emphasized defense, but no one was consistently brought in off the bench to provide an even average level of offensive production.
No player better epitomizes that glaring miscalculation than Dalton Knecht, who was the Lakers' best hope for bench scoring—but couldn't consistently find the court.
JJ Redick must find a healthier balance for second unit to thrive
Knecht was one of the Lakers' most explosive scoring threats during the 2024-25 season. The rookie sharpshooter led all of the team's reserves in points per game at 9.1, as well as points per 36 minutes at an impressive 17.0.
Despite his production, Knecht played the ninth-most minutes among Lakers players who were active for at least 40 games.
The justification for the decision to limit Knecht's minutes was that the rookie struggled on defense. It was a fair stance for Redick to take, as the Lakers posted their worst defensive rating among players who saw at least 1,000 minutes of action when Knecht was on the court.
The harsh reality, however, is that no one else on the roster was better equipped to save the Lakers' second unit from NBA-worst offensive production than Knecht.
Knecht went off for two 30-point games and seven outings with at least 20 points during his rookie season. That's more than every other Lakers reserve combined to produce during the 2024-25 campaign.
Furthermore, Knecht averaged 21.2 points per game on .502/.477/.769 shooting between the 12 outings during which he played at least 30 minutes.
Moving forward, the Lakers must empower Knecht to play through his defensive shortcomings and learn from experience. His offense is too valuable to discredit, especially on a team that typically starts its best scorers and thus leaves the bench devoid of offensive firepower.
One can only hope that Knecht will be allowed to function as a traditional sixth man in 2025-26, with his rare scoring capabilities emphasized within a defensive-minded rotation.