The Los Angeles Lakers struck gold on the night of the 2024 NBA Draft. Projected by near consensus as a potential top-10 pick, former Tennessee Volunteers star Dalton Knecht slid to No. 17 overall and gave Los Angeles a unique opportunity to find a potentially essential player.
Knecht has struggled to find consistent playing time early in his rookie season, but when he's been on the court, the Lakers have been a significantly better team.
Knecht has appeared in each of the Lakers' first 10 games, averaging 16.9 minutes per outing. During that time, he's averaged 6.1 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.1 three-point field goals made, which translates to 13.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.3 threes per 36 minutes.
Some are concerned by Knecht shooting 28.9 percent from beyond the arc, but removing the Memphis Grizzlies and Philadelphia 76ers games, he's buried 38.5 percent of his attempts.
That alone is reason to be intrigued by what he could achieve with more playing time. Yes, he's had poor shooting nights, but the baseline for him has been efficient shooting and a fearless approach to spacing the floor for the shot creators.
Knecht's value has not only been found in how well he's shot outside of the Memphis and Philadelphia games, but his general ability to make the Lakers an all-around stronger team.
Dalton Knecht has made the Lakers significantly better
Los Angeles is currently outscoring opponents by 5.7 points per 100 possessions when Knecht is on the court. By comparison, the Lakers are being outscored by 5.0 points per 100 possessions—a stunning swing of 10.7 points by that metric.
The most noteworthy aspect of Knecht's massively positive impact is the simple fact that Los Angeles is better on both ends of the floor when he's playing.
Los Angeles is currently posting an offensive rating of 121.5 when Knecht is on the court—the second-highest mark among Lakers who have received at least 100 minutes of playing time. When he's on the bench, the team is scoring 112.1 points per 100 possessions—the second-worst mark on the team.
That 9.4-point swing is indicative of how much stronger the Lakers are on offense when Knecht is available to space the floor and put constant pressure on the opposition.
The more surprising element of Knecht's value is the fact that the Lakers have been better on defense, as well. He's not to be confused with an elite defender at this stage, but Los Angeles has a defensive rating of 115.8 when he's on the court and 117.1 when he isn't.
It's admittedly too early to put too much stock into those numbers, but Knecht giving the Lakers a massive boost on offense without costing them on defense is essential information.
Moving forward, the Lakers should make it a priority to feature Knecht in a more prominent role. He'll struggle at times, as all rookies do, but his mere presence on the court is a positive for the Lakers—and his dynamic scoring potential will only be realized through opportunities for trial and error.
If Knecht continues to provide the value he has, the Lakers may unearth a Rookie of the Year candidate and the type of cornerstone they've been searching for.