Los Angeles Lakers wing Dalton Knecht had a captivating rookie season and a brutal sophomore campaign. He turned heads with a flurry of 20 and 30-point performances during his debut year in the NBA, but was unable to find a consistent spot in the rotation in 2025-26.
If Knecht is looking for ways to right the ship, then the Lakers have already showed him how do so: Follow Luke Kennard's lead.
Los Angeles acquired Kennard ahead of the 2026 NBA trade deadline and were quickly vindicated for the gamble. He shot the lights out, created for himself and his teammates, and ultimately stepped up with a stellar early slate of postseason games.
Kennard finished the playoffs with averages of 11.5 points and 2.3 assists on .488/.474/.826 shooting, playing a key role as the Lakers overcame injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves to defeat the Houston Rockets in the first round.
Kennard will be an unrestricted free agent this coming summer, however, and it's not set in stone that he'll return to Los Angeles. The Lakers will need to balance need versus cost, and if keeping Kennard proves too risky to justify, the door will be open for another player to step into his role.
Knecht is the prime candidate to do so amongst those who are already on the roster, with the skill set and track record to excel if he rights the ship.
Luke Kennard showed Dalton Knecht how to play a big role for the Lakers
Knecht's biggest issue in Los Angeles hasn't been his defensive woes, but the manner in which his offensive game has declined. His signature strengths fell by the wayside and his time on the court was perhaps inevitably cut.
That could be attributed at least in some part to the fact that Knecht is more of a scorer than a pure shooter, which makes his fit for a floor-spacing role imperfect.
What Kennard proved in Los Angeles, however, is that there's room for a play finisher to find his spots as a shot creator. Yes, he buried a remarkable 44.8 percent of his three-point field goals between his 32 regular season games with the Lakers.
Kennard attempted more two-point field goals per game than threes, however, and routinely put the ball on the court as more of an all-around scoring threat than spot-up shooter.
Dalton Knecht must provide efficient shooting to land ISO opportunities
If Kennard can excel in that role, then there's no reason to believe Knecht is incapable of doing the same. Even if he can't flirt with 45 percent shooting from distance, he shot 37.6 percent as a rookie and can put the work in to become more reliable in catch-and-shoot situations.
If Knecht succeeds in that regard, then opportunities to create his own offense should become more readily available—particularly if only one of LeBron James and Austin Reaves return next season.
Even if the Doncic, James, and Reaves trio reunites, however, Kennard thrived with all three stars, as well as an injury-plagued combination of them. His shooting earned him more freedom within the offense, and his success on the ball wasn't all that dissimilar from how Knecht has proven capable of playing.
If Knecht follows Kennard's lead, then he could turn the 2025-26 season into a mere memory as the 2026-27 campaign reminds the Lakers of why he became a fan favorite in the first place.
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