Dalton Knecht has lived through a rollercoaster rookie season that almost involved a new jersey, a disappointing stretch that resulted in him fading out of the rotation in 2024-25, and now an underwhelming summer league campaign. Things are not looking up for the sharpshooting wing.
"This was about as unimpressive a summer league as you could have seen for Dalton Knecht," Sam Vecenie said on the Game Theory Podcast. "24 years old, about to turn 25, you would have expected him to really come in and be a dude. ... He was absolutely not that. I have some real worries."
Bryce Simon agreed with his podcast partner. Simon admitted being high on Knecht at numerous points previously, and having high hopes for the selection following the 2024 NBA Draft. A familiar concern was then raised with Knecht's ability to stay on the floor for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Simon expressed worries about the defense of the Lakers sniper. The podcast personality pointed to the lack of development on that end presenting a major concern. Simon described 'the notes' for Knecht on that end being 'exactly the same.'
Dalton Knecht's defense is the swing factor for the Lakers
There should be no doubt that the assessment provided by the Game Theory Podcast is more than fair. Defensive consistency and reliability are two things the Lakers need to see from Knecht to make him a regular fixture in the rotation.
The desire to see growth on that end was obvious when JJ Redick pulled the plug on Knecht being a key bench piece late into last year's campaign. It was also just as evident when the Jake LaRavia signing was made.
Rob Pelinka noted the two-way impact of LaRavia as 'ideal' for Redick's basketball system. Right now, Knecht is sorely lacking in half of that.
Rob Pelinka on the Lakers’ Jake LaRavia signing, from the team’s release: “Jake is a high IQ two-way player with ideal skills for a JJ Redick basketball system. He’s a disruptive defender who uses his size and physicality to create turnovers. Offensively, he can score at all…
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) July 7, 2025
Simon noted in his assessment that Knecht was never expected to be a major plus on defense. The issue is the former Tennessee star wanders too far into the negative category.
This is a disappointment considering his final NCAA campaign with the Volunteers. Knecht did struggle in isolation defensively. However, the former college star was at least capable of holding his own as a solid team defender. The Lakers will want to see more of that.
Knecht had a defensive rating of 118 per 100 possessions, according to Basketball Reference. His defensive box plus/minus came in at -1.7.
Opponents scored a comfortable 46.5 percent of their field goals against Knecht, according to NBA.com. When considering the low degree of difficulty in a majority of those assignments, that number looks quite troublesome.
Ultimately, Knecht does have an easy path to the rotation in 2025-26. However, it will only be easy if the biggest worry surrounding his game gets quickly erased from the picture.