EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Los Angeles Lakers have assigned forward Dalton Knecht and guard Adou Thiero to the South Bay Lakers.
This will be the first time the sophomore Knecht has played in the G League, while the rookie Theiro has already played in two games earlier this year, averaging 15.5 points.
After being drafted by the Lakers with the 17th overall pick in the 2024 draft, Knecht came out of the gates hot with two 35+ point games in the first month of his NBA career, including a career-high 37 points on nine made triples on November 19, 2024.
The Lakers traded the shooter Knecht to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Mark Williams prior to the trade deadline, but the trade was reversed after Williams didn’t pass his physical. Knecht was never the same after this debacle, and has become an end of the bench guy for the Lakers.
Redick still has high hopes for the former Tennessee superstar, hence the decision to send him to South Bay to pick things back up.
Thiero has played in eight games for the Lakers, averaging around six minutes per game, and just over one point. While he has had some highlights with thunderous dunks and excellent flashes of on-ball defense, Redick decided the Arkansas standout has more developing to do.
The help will come at a good time for a struggling South Bay squad that has lost six of its last seven games, due largely in part to the always changing rotation.
Bronny James and Drew Timme returned on Saturday against Rip City, and Kobe Bufkin returned a few games ago as well, so adding Thiero and Knecht should help bring the team back to its early season winning ways.
Coach Zach Guthrie has been adamant on accepting this challenge though, and will do no different this time around with a new face in Knecht.
The new-look lineup will see its first action together tomorrow night as South Bay takes on the San Diego Clippers at 7:00 p.m. at the UHTC.