Dalton Knecht earned a DNP - Coach’s Decision in the Los Angeles Lakers’ Opening Night loss to the Golden State Warriors. For a guy who looked like he could be a real rotation piece in LA at times last year, Knecht seems to be falling apart, at least in regard to his standing in JJ Redick’s rotation.
Though Knecht entered the league billed as an impressive three-point shooter and legitimate scoring threat, his defensive struggles have limited his playing time. Add in the fact that he wasn’t efficient at all throughout the preseason, and things are looking very rough for a guy who could be the Lakers’ best young asset.
Not great. Not great at all.
What is wrong with Dalton Knecht?
The Lakers ran a nine-man rotation on Wednesday night. With LeBron James sidelined, that meant that a good chunk of the roster earned an opportunity to play minutes against the Warriors on Opening Night.
In fact, only three players who were active didn’t get a chance to get into the game. Bronny James was one—a youngster who’s still finding his footing. Christian Koloko was another—a big man who’s trying to re-earn NBA minutes after some serious health issues.
The other was Knecht.
Most guys entering their second year in the league should be looking to earn more minutes. They will have done everything and anything possible to earn their coach’s trust and find a way to get on the floor. Yet somehow, Knecht couldn’t even manage to do that at the smallest level.
Not even getting a single minute, a single second, on Opening Night should be a seriously concerning sight for Lakers fans when it comes to Knecht. He needs playing time, but more importantly, he needs to earn it.
The Lakers tried to trade Knecht last year. They clearly wanted to capitalize on his trade value (or whatever value he had as a young player). Maybe they were already looking ahead to an unfortunate reality where Knect would be unable to get on the floor.
That may be the reality that the Lakers are living in with Knecht. Even with his scoring ability, he wasn’t able to play on a night when the Lakers needed points. That’s bad.
Obviously, there’s plenty of time left for Knecht to figure things out. But this was as bad a start to the season as Lakers fans could have possibly envisioned.
And barring a miraculous turnaround, Knecht’s time in LA may be doomed.