So far, the cruel and everchanging nature of the offseason has not caught up to Dalton Knecht. If the Los Angeles Lakers marksman makes it out of the offseason still wearing purple and gold, JJ Redick should be the driving force behind setting up Knecht for a very successful second season.
With the Lakers set to start their first bit of Summer League action on July 5, Knecht has gotten the opportunity to spend some valuable time with his head coach in the lead-up. Khobi Price of The Orange County Register made note of a couple comments from the soon-to-be NBA sophomore that highlight just how helpful Redick has been for Knecht.
The former Tennessee star discussed how the pair have kept in touch since the conclusion of the season. Knecht and Redick have spent time together working out, getting to know each other, and even grabbing lunch.
"Then, obviously, JJ is a great shooter and we’ve just been doing shooting drills and stuff like that," Knecht said. "It’s good just getting to the gym with your head coach. Learn from him, because he’s a great shooter as well.”
Redick has the formula to unlock Knecht in 2025-26 for Lakers
Rob Pelinka has cautiously navigated the offseason to this point, to the disappointment of a handful. However, the silver lining to that would be that a promising young player like Knecht has been able to remain in Los Angeles, thus far.
Getting the time to closely work together with Redick should be an easy pathway for success with the Lakers sniper. The two are not built in a very dissimilar mold.
Sure, Knecht has a little bit of a size advantage on his Lakers coach. However, there is a ton of resemblance in their actual on-court games.
Both players are/were great shooters and underrated athletes, sharing a lot of similar traits with how and where they operate offensively. If Knecht can emulate what Redick had to offer in his best years, the 24-year-old will have a successful career in the NBA.
At the peak of his powers, between 2011 and 2020, Redick averaged 15.0 points per game while shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 42.0 percent from beyond the arc. The former NBA pro was an integral piece of really good teams like the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Clippers, and Philadelphia 76ers.
The main flaw, for both players here, is the defensive side of the basketball. Despite Redick's limitations, his effort on that end of the floor was more than enough to keep him on the floor. That is all a replicable model that Knecht can work towards.
The former first-round pick averaged 9.1 points per game in his rookie season, playing the majority of his time coming off the bench for the Lakers. Knecht enjoyed healthy shooting splits of 46-38-76 in the process.
Last year's rookie shooter saw his minutes fade down the stretch of the 2024-25 NBA season. Working closely together with Redick on his game this offseason can ensure that does not happen in the upcoming campaign and that Knecht firmly establishes himself as a permanent fixture in the rotation.