The Los Angeles Lakers have gone away to lick their wounds after being battered by a physical Minnesota Timberwolves side and one player with an uncertain future is already locked in.
Questions surround the Los Angeles Lakers, and rightly so, after they were upset, at least on paper, being the third seed and getting knocked out by the fifth seed.
From the Luka Doncic trade being scrutinized again to doubts over the future of players like Austin Reaves, Dalton Knecht, and to some extent, even LeBron James, changes are coming in Los Angeles.
The off-season will now be a time to rest and recuperate a little bit before proving the hunger to the front office clearly looking to make big changes.
One player has done no harm to his prospects by already being pictured back on the court less than a month after elimination.
Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty ImagesLA Lakers star pictured back on court
If one were to make a list of players who have the most to prove in this off-season, Luka Doncic would probably be at the top of the list just for the sheer scrutiny surrounding him.
Then there are questions surrounding James’ future in basketball, let alone at the Lakers, so that’s two big “ifs” around the team.
However, one thing that can’t be doubted about either is that if they are available and willing, they will be a part of the franchise for as long as they want to.
The same can’t be said for the role players, some of whom were rejected brutally by head coach JJ Redick during the playoff series.
One of those is sharpshooter Dalton Knecht, who almost left the team on the trade deadline but was on the fringes of the team when he returned, never quite recapturing the same flame.
Knecht is determined to get things right next season and is putting in the hard yards in Tennessee, pictured doing drills and going through the paces with Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball.
LA Lakers can use Dalton Knecht
Having already nearly left the team once, it is fair to say that Knecht will be on the chopping block during Rob Pelinka’s trade conversation with other teams.
Moreover, Knecht is a flamethrower from deep and shooting is a skill that modern NBA teams can’t have enough of, which is why the Lakers should also reconsider their stance.
Knecht looks a bit lost defensively at times but the work ethic is clearly there, as evidenced by these pictures of him working on his game so soon after elimination.
Defense is as much about effort and willingness as it is about skill and Knecht clearly doesn’t lack in the former department, a fact which should make up for the latter department.
Trading him without giving him an extended run with the team to see whether he can step up should be out of the picture. The skills he has mastered is worth goldust in the modern NBA.