This point of the 2024-25 NBA regular season is all about figuring out who is going to be leaned on for the important moments. Some teams have figured out a long time ago which rotations they will trust down the stretch and come playoff time. Other teams have been forced to make a lot more adjustments throughout the campaign for one reason or another.
In the case of the Los Angeles Lakers, their megadeal for Luka Doncic has required them to spend a lot more time racing towards the finish line while not having things completely resolved. It's tough to expect a trade that completely alters the landscape of an organization to not have that effect.
For JJ Redick and his staff, they are certainly trending towards having a strong idea of what their rotation will look like for the NBA Playoffs. Fans of Dalton Knecht will be disappointed to see his impact on the immediate future greatly lessening by each passing game.
Knecht's minutes are shrinking heavily as he falls out of the rotation
Dalton Knecht has been one of the better rookies from a lackluster 2024 NBA Draft. The Lakers managed to secure the sharpshooting wing with the 17th overall pick after an unexpected draft slide. One would imagine Rob Pelinka and company to feel pretty vindicated in that decision.
Knecht has averaged 9.1 points off the bench, while shooting 46.0 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from beyond the arc. The true shooting percentage of 59.2 is an encouraging sign of the type of healthy scorer that the former Tennessee star can be in the NBA.
All that being said, it is growing abundantly clear that the closer the Lakers get to the NBA Playoffs, the less instrumental Knecht is viewed to their success in the 2024-25 season.
After stepping into a larger role for Los Angeles during their injury-plagued stretch towards the end of this season, the Lakers rookie has seen his minutes take a massive hit over the last few games. Knecht has only played 6.3 minutes per game over the Lakers' last six contests, posting 2.3 points per game in the process.
Why has the 23-year-old fallen out of favor? There are two possible reasons to explain this.
The first feels somewhat obvious. The Lakers' success after the Doncic trade came from building a high-energy, defensive identity. In an effort to turn back to the foundational pillar that brought them success, Redick could be prioritizing players who would help Los Angeles reestablish that playing style. Knecht has not proven himself to be one of those guys.
The Lakers wing has been spotty on the defensive end all year in 2024-25. His individual defense was highlighted as one of the concerns about him leading up to this past NBA Draft. According to NBA.com, Knecht is surrendering 48.6 percent of the shots he has defended this season.
The other reason could be much simpler than that. The closer the NBA postseason gets within sight, the more Redick and his staff could value carving out roles for proven veterans that are familiar with the environment.
There may still be room for Knecht to situationally jump into the rotation and give the Lakers some added spacing and scoring punch when needed for the remainder of this campaign. However, as things currently stand, the man who was nearly traded away from the team may have to sit and learn while the Lakers attempt a championship push.
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