Dalton Knecht Is Proving His Worth In NBA Summer League

In the 2024 NBA Draft, Dalton Knecht was expected to be a lottery pick but was chosen by the Los Angeles Lakers as the 17th overall pick. He will need to prove himself to play alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis next season, and he seems to be on the right track in the Summer League games.

Dalton Knecht Is Proving He Belongs In The NBA

Knecht started Summer League Play by putting up 12 points and 4 assists in his first game against the Kings. He did not have a great start, though. His first field goal did not come until the final minutes of the first half. He looked much better in the second half, scoring 8 of his 12 points. He also tallied 6 points and recorded a steal in the final 2:30 minutes of the game.

While he didn't have an impressive shooting night, coaches remained confident in Knecht. “He’s had a great couple of days of practice,” said Lakers Summer League Head Coach Dane Johnson. “Today, a couple shots didn’t fall for him, but in practice, he’s brought effort, energy. He just plays hard and will do whatever you tell him to do…He’s had a great camp so far.”

Knecht's second game against the Warriors was very similar. He scored 12 points on 3-13 shooting. While the stat sheet was nothing to write home about, he did lead the team in scoring. His overall game showed signs of heading in the right direction.

Johnson still remained confident that the 23-year-old rookie would find his game. "It’s going to come," he said. "He’s a great player, I’m not worried about him making or missing shots. He’s a great shooter, so he’s going to knock them down moving forward. He doesn’t need to force anything.”

Knecht echoed that sentiment post-game saying, “Shooters shoot. My dad always told me the next shot is going in."

The former SEC Player of the Year proved his coaches right in the next game against Miami. He led the team in scoring again, this time with 20 points. He also grabbed a season-high 9 rebounds. He looked much more comfortable in finding his spots and attacking the rim.

Knecht followed that game with another impressive showing on Friday night. He had a team-high 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. The main thing that stood out was his field goal percentage. He shot 50% from the field, including 45% from three-point range. In the previous three games, he was getting his fair share of points, but he was taking a lot of shots. He was very efficient in this game against the Rockets.

"He's got a great feel as a basketball player," said Lakers Head Coach JJ Redick during an in-game interview. "I know he can shoot it. It's the other parts of his game. The defense, the rebounding, the passing, just his feel of the game is what I've been impressed with."

The 17th overall pick has steadily improved in each Summer League game. He is showing that he is worthy of cracking the rotation for the Lakers in the regular season. He still needs to work on being a more efficient scorer, but missing shots is common for rookies in Summer League. Knocking down those shots at a consistent rate will go a long way in his development as a rookie.

Los Angeles will be in action next on Monday night vs. the Celtics.