Dalton Knecht wasn't drafted in the first round to play defense. And he hasn't. But, like, at all, and if that trend persists, it will make Knecht's place in the Lakers rotation murky. The second-year man will struggle to claw his way back into the Lakers lineup, which lost Dorian Finney-Smith but added both Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia this summer.
With Smart's history as a lockdown defender and LaRavia's underrated chops on that end, Lakers head coach JJ Redick will probably be more inclined to call on those guys throughout the season. Knecht fell out of the team's rotation last year in large part because other teams — if he's not hitting 3-pointers at an elite clip, it becomes tougher to justify giving him nightly run, which is a sad development for fans who watched him light up the nets so early in his career.
Can Dalton Knecht be a high-volume scorer for the Lakers?
That's the thing —Knecht can hit 3-pointers at an elite clip, and score in a variety of other ways, too. That is why he was drafted, because his offensive arsenal was one of the most complete in last year's draft class. And because the Lakers respect the Big Sky, where Knecht played a majority of his college ball.
In order to re-enter the rotation in 2025-26, Knecht will need to look like the Dalton Knecht from November 2024, when he averaged 13.6 points per game and shot 46 percent from 3-point range. He provided the instant offense that Rob Pelinka envisioned when he drafted him... until, somewhat suddenly, he didn't.
In December, Knecht shot just 15.6% from 3-point land. When the shot stopped falling, it made it much harder to hide his defensive deficiencies. Then, once the calendar turned to 2025, he averaged under 20 minutes per game each month, and was completely benched during the Lakers' quick playoff appearance.
Plenty of NBA players struggle to defend — especially offensive-minded guards. If Knecht can be a consistent bucket-getter for the Lakers, they should have enough defensive help to cover for his struggles on that end.
Should a lineup with Knecht, Luka, and Austin Reaves ever see the court? Probably not! And I assume they won't. But if, say, Jared Vanderbilt and (potentially) Marcus Smart are out there bringing defensive fire on the wings and the Lakers need a couple of buckets in a pinch, then Knecht once again becomes an option for Redick.