Dalton Knecht is in the midst of what may very well be the best month of his NBA career. He's scoring with consistency, defending at a level previously unseen from him, and helping to anchor the Los Angeles Lakers' efforts to overcome a rush of injuries.
Unfortunately, just as the players he was covering for returned, Knecht was effectively removed from the rotation.
Knecht entered the Lakers' Mar. 22 loss to the Chicago Bulls on a remarkable run of form. Through 11 games in March, he was averaging 14.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 2.7 three-point field goals made in 26.2 minutes per game, shooting 47.6 percent from the field and 41.1 percent from beyond the arc.
During that same stretch, opponents were shooting 0.7 percent worse from the field when Knecht was the primary defender.
That may not be an elite figure, but it was a clear sign of the progress he's made on the defensive end of the floor. It was also a testament to his mental toughness to take limited playing time in stride and step up when players such as Rui Hachimura and LeBron James missed weeks due to injuries.
Unfortunately, when Hachimura and James returned to the rotation during a 146-115 loss to the Bulls, Knecht received just under seven minutes of playing time.
Lakers keep cutting Dalton Knecht off at the legs when he's on his game
Sadly, this isn't the first time in 2024-25 that the Lakers have gone from benefiting from Knecht's contributions to cutting his minutes. He scored 34 points between games played on Jan. 28 and Jan. 30, only to receive less than 10 minutes the next time out.
Knecht also scored 31 points between outings on Dec. 25 and Dec. 28, but played fewer than 20 minutes in 10 of the next 11 games.
Perhaps this is life as a rookie, plugging holes and proving you can step up when the team needs you before you're allowed to play through your mistakes. It simply isn't sitting right that a player can thrive for a short-handed side and then hardly see the court during a 31-point loss.
For what it's worth: Knecht had scored 42 points between the Lakers' previously three games, two of which were wins that he contributed valuable minutes to.
A decrease in playing time was admittedly inevitable for a player who still has things to learn about winning in the NBA. Hachimura and James are not just starters, but two of the best and most important players on the roster.
A precipitous drop from 26.2 minutes per game in the previous 11 games to just six minutes and 42 seconds against Chicago, however, is difficult to stomach.
Moving forward, the Lakers must find a way to incorporate Knecht into what they're attempting to orchestrate. There are still flaws that the rookie will need to find a way to address, but his progress is impossible to overlook and his offense could prove invaluable during the playoffs.
It's never easy to manage a rotation near the end of the regular season, let alone with players coming off of injuries, but Los Angeles must do a better job of finding Knecht a consistent role.