Dalton Knecht looked the part of a draft-day steal in 2024, but just two years later, it certainly seems as though he's fallen out of favor with the Los Angeles Lakers. He played just 10.2 minutes per game during his second regular season, as well as 3.6 minutes per contest during the playoffs.
If the Lakers truly are done with the Knecht experience, then they can at least find solace in the opportunity to draft his replacement in 2026: Dailyn Swain.
Swain is a comparable talent to Knecht in regard to playing style, size, and even weaknesses. Much like Knecht, he's a three-level scorer who has the tools to be a quality defender, but lacks the consistency on that end of the floor to garner true two-way praise.
What makes Swain an intriguing potential replacement for Knecht is the fact that he'll turn 21 in July—making him four years younger than the incumbent.
That gives the Lakers considerably more time to develop Swain than they may have to help Knecht unlearn bad habits. The hurdle in doing so, however, is finding his ideal offensive role—an issue they're already familiar with. Much like Knecht, Swain is more of a scorer than a true shooter.
In saying that, Swain's dramatic progress as a three-point shooter and compelling two-way potential make him at least worth considering at No. 25 overall.
Dailyn Swain can help Lakers move on from Dalton Knecht
Swain shot just 15.4 percent from beyond the arc as a freshman. He increased his percentages by massive margins over the next two seasons, however, converting 25.0 percent of his attempts in 2024-25 and 34.4 percent of his threes in 2025-26.
Swain did so while greatly improving his all-around game, including drastic increases from 9.4 points per 40 minutes in 2023-24 to 15.4 in 2024-25 and 21.1 in 2025-26.
Swain also increased his two-point field goal percentage from 55.3 to 56.7 and ultimately 60.3. He even made progress as a playmaker, jumping from 2.6 assists per 40 minutes as a freshman to 3.7 as a sophomore and 4.4 as a junior.
Having improved in virtually every phase of the offensive game throughout his collegiate career, Swain has given ample reason to believe that he can take coaching and will thus continue to develop in the NBA.
Dailyn Swain steadily improved across his three collegiate seasons
Beyond the numbers, Swain is a compelling all-around wing. He has ideal size at 6'6.5" without shoes and 211 pounds with a 6'10" wingspan. Though not an explosive athlete, he moves well in space and can certainly play above the rim with a 36.0" max vertical leap at 6'7"-plus in shoes.
Swain puts those physical gifts to use as a balanced scorer who knows how to use his body to create space, knock down jumpers, and finish with either creativity or power once he gets into the paint.
On the other end of the floor, Swain is more of an opportunistic help defender than a consistent on-ball or even off-ball presence at this stage. He's displayed compelling potential as a ball hawk and shot-blocker, however, and could potentially translate those instincts to more disciplined all-around success if he buys into JJ Redick's system.
The Lakers could encounter the same hurdles they experienced with finding Knecht an ideal role, but Swain is younger and would have the full four seasons left on his contract compared to the incumbent's two. It could thus be worth the risk.
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