The Los Angeles Lakers are a monumental collapse away from reaching the playoffs without the need for the Play-In Tournament for the first time since its inception. With 13 games to play, they're four games clear of the No. 7 seed and remain just 1.5 behind the No. 2 seed.
Regardless of how a postseason appearance materializes, Dalton Knecht has left the Lakers with a monumental decision to make.
Knecht has been a consistent source of offense throughout the 2024-25 regular season. He's currently averaging 9.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.7 three-point field goals made in 20.8 minutes per game, shooting at a clip of .460/.368/.750.
For a rookie whose minutes have been anything but consistent, Knecht has been undeniably impressive as a scorer and floor-spacer.
With this in mind, it would be easy to determine that Knecht is an ideal fit for the Lakers' postseason rotation. His ability to generate instant offense is nothing short of invaluable, but there are questions about his defensive consistency that remain unanswered.
As a result, Lakers head coach JJ Redick must decide how valuable Knecht's offensive abilities truly are ahead of the postseason.
Where does Dalton Knecht fit in the postseason rotation?
It's taken less than a full season for Knecht to emerge as a high-level sharpshooter. He's burying 36.1 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes and 41.2 percent of his pull-up attempts, thus displaying his ability to hurt opposing teams both on and off the ball.
Knecht is also shooting 41.4 percent on 4.9 attempts per game over his past 27 appearances, during which time the Lakers have gone 18-9.
Furthermore, Knecht is in the midst of a sustained stretch of excellence on offense. He's averaging 14.4 points and 2.7 three-point field goals made in 26.2 minutes per game over the past 11 outings, including a 32-point eruption against the rival Denver Nuggets.
It should come as no surprise that Knecht leads all Lakers reserves in points and three-point field goals made per game, as well as per 36 minutes, during the 2024-25 season.
For as compelling a truth as that may be, great teams become merciless in the way they isolate inconsistent defenders during the playoffs. They switch until they get the matchup they want and exploit it until said player is effectively played off the court.
It's too soon to know if that fate would befall Knecht, but his defensive woes have been the only distinguishable reason he hasn't received more consistent playing time.
Opponents are shooting 2.0 percent better when Knecht is the primary defender, and the Lakers are allowing 5.6 fewer points per 100 possessions when he's off the court. He's made drastic improvements, however, forcing the opposition to shoot 5.0 percent worse from the field since Feb. 1.
The question is: Do the Lakers believe that Knecht's recent improvement can translate to the playoffs or is he soon to be on the outside looking in of Redick's rotation?