Training camp for the 2025-26 NBA season is approaching, and while the Los Angeles Lakers may not have a legitimate championship-caliber roster, they do appear to have one that can do some real damage.

They have a number of players who seem to have upward potential, and if those players improve and fulfill their potential this season, perhaps the team can pleasantly surprise quite a few national pundits.

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LeBron Wire is taking a look at the 14 players who are under standard contracts with the Lakers and giving three goals for each player. We now take a look at Dalton Knecht, who showed some potential last season as a rookie but still has a long way to go.

Consistently hit from 3-point range

Knecht had a couple of stints last season when he was hot from long distance. In November, he went into volcano mode and hit 46% of his 3-point attempts, and in his last 24 games of the season, he shot 43.4% from beyond the arc.

For the year, he was at 37.6% from that distance. But that was misleading, as his efficiency wildly fluctuated from month to month, and it resulted in him being in and out of head coach JJ Redick’s rotation.

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For Knecht to earn a permanent spot in the team’s rotation, he needs to maintain a relatively high shooting percentage throughout the season. When he’s not hitting from 3-point land, he needs to find ways to continue to contribute offensively, which is something he has shown he has the ability to do.

Improve on the defensive end

It is thought that arguably the biggest reason Knecht didn’t get more playing time than he did is his problems on the defensive end. He often looked lost on that end of the floor, and he was often a weak link for the Lakers in that department.

The 6-foot-6 wing does seem to have the physical tools to be at least an adequate defender, as he can jump high and has decent speed and quickness. Perhaps the challenge for him will be not just putting forth the requisite effort but also being focused.

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Be confident and resilient

Knecht has seen his name come up in trade rumors quite often over the last several months. Of course, the Lakers did try to trade him in February to the Charlotte Hornets for center Mark Williams, but the trade got rescinded because Williams reportedly failed his physical.

The NBA is a cutthroat business, and anyone can get traded, as the world saw when Luka Doncic was dealt to the Lakers in early February. If he hasn’t already, Knecht needs to keep his focus on the main thing and not keep looking over his shoulder in anticipation of being dealt somewhere else.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers 3 goals: Dalton Knecht has lots of room for improvement