A disappointing start to Summer League for Dalton Knecht has been an early talking point.
The LA Lakers have played two Summer League games already, winning one against the Heat and losing the other to the Warriors.
Cole Swider has been the standout player as he pushes to land a place on the roster, while Bronny James remains a curious attraction for fans.
Dalton Knecht has also been in action, but has not been impressive so far. And with big things expected from the 2024 Draft pick, his low-key showings have been a talking point.
Knecht barely played in the playoffs for the Lakers, averaging just 2.5 minutes in two appearances.
Summer League presents a chance for Knecht to show that his declining usage since the Luka Doncic trade was the wrong move, but he is yet to grasp the opportunity.
Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty ImagesDalton Knecht form discussed
Dalton Knecht’s struggles in NBA Summer League so far prompted a discussion on ESPN’s Hoop Collective podcast.
Brian Windhorst warned that Knecht is on thin ice with the Lakers, who attempted to trade him away to the Charlotte Hornets back in February.
Windhorst said: “The thing about Knecht, actions over words, the Lakers have already traded him once.
“The second thing is as the season went along, JJ Redick stopped playing him.
“He’s a rookie, lots of rookies have struggled to get playing time early in their careers. There was a time when people thought this was one of the steals of the draft.”
Speaking about his struggles in Summer League, he commented: “For all I know he’ll hit his next 12 threes, but I’m monitoring that development especially since there’s a chance he could be traded, again, depending on what the Lakers want to do with their roster.”
Tim MacMahon interjected: “This was not a weekend where his value was boosted.”
This prompted Windhorst to respond: “Exactly, that’s exactly the point.”
Dalton Knecht’s numbers in Summer League so far
Dalton Knecht’s most recent Summer League game saw him score only four points. This came on 2-7 shooting, and 0-3 from three.
He scored 10 points in the opening game, 3-13 from the field and 0-6 from three.
0-9 from three point range across two games is not a pretty stat line, and as Windhorst points out, Summer League has not increased his value.
But there is plenty of time to change this, and Knecht would argue he has already put enough on tape to show his ability and credentials.
The biggest problem is trying to win over JJ Redick, and right now this seems to be an uphill battle.