The Mark Williams trade was, for the most part, a fantastic deal for the Los Angeles Lakers. Filling the void at the center position was an important move for Rob Pelinka and the front office. It was even a deal that newly-acquired Luka Doncic advocated for.
Dave McMenamin of ESPN wrote, "Doncic met with Lakers brass Monday and impressed upon them his desire to have that type of center on the roster, sources said, believing a big man who provides vertical spacing at the rim gives him another option when making his offensive reads."
There should be no doubt about the fact that Williams will be a great fit alongside the new Lakers superstar. Players like Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II , and others of the type have all thrived playing next do Doncic.
However, there was a player involved in this deal who could have similarly flourished while flanking the Sloevnian superstar. Dalton Knecht would be that man. The Lakers rookie was necessary to getting the deal done with the Charlotte Hornets. It's just too bad because he would have been a wonderful fit with Doncic.
Missing out on the dream pairing of Knecht-Doncic is disappointing
Players shooting percentages go up playing beside Doncic. It really is that simple. There are few better examples of that than someone like Spencer Dinwiddie.
The Dallas Mavericks guard shoots 33.3 percent from beyond the arc for his career. Those are modest, yet unspectacular, numbers. However, if one were to focus on just his time sharing the court with Doncic, while playing for the Mavericks, any individual would be forgiven for thinking Dinwiddie was a marksman from 3-point land.
According to StatMuse, the 11-year pro connected on 39.9 percent of his triples during the 88 games he shared the court with Luka. So, why bring up Dinwiddie in a conversation about Knecht? The reasoning is simple: to show what Doncic can do for a below average to average 3-point shooter.
Knecht, on the other hand, was dropping 35.8 percent of his looks from distance during his rookie season. Specifically on catch-and-shoot opportunities from deep, the former Laker was hitting a respectable 34.6 percent as well. It is a fair estimation to say those numbers would have skyrocketed if Knecht got the opportunity to play with Doncic.
Going beyond the numbers, Knecht is obviously a gifted sniper with a fluid shooting motion that is on full display for anyone watching. Imagining the type of easy shots the former Tennessee product would have had next to Luka leaves a lingering, bittersweet feeling about the Williams trade.