The Los Angeles Lakers brought in Dalton Knecht in the NBA Draft to boost their offensive firepower with his shooting ability. Yet, the rookie has struggled to find his rhythm early on. Despite the rough start, head coach JJ Redick remains optimistic that Knecht’s breakout moment will come soon.
Knecht has suited up for all the Lakers’ games so far, though his production hasn’t quite met expectations. Through the first ten games, the rookie has averaged 6.1 points, shooting 38.6% from the field and 28.9% from beyond the arc. Redick, however, believes it’s only a matter of time.
“To me, he’s gotten some really good looks both organically and when we’ve run sets for him,” Redick said, per Matt Peralta of Lakers Nation. “I am undeterred in my thinking that he is a tier one, top 1% shooter. I see it almost every day.”
Redick, who knows the ups and downs of shooting from his 15-year NBA career, also empathized with Knecht. “Sometimes you go through stuff and because I played 15 years, it’s always hard for me early in the season if I initially didn’t get off to a good start shooting 3s,” he continued. “It became more than it was, and I just started focusing on the long term and believing that the law of averages would work out, there would be regression to the mean, and I’d end up being a 40% 3-point shooter.”
He added, “But it’s hard mentally, I think, and I’m not speaking for him, but I think for shooters, it’s hard when you get off to a slow start shooting the ball. It can kind of weigh on you. I’ve talked to him about it, and he believes that shot is going in every single time. And so do I.”
D’Angelo Russell weighs in on Knecht’s struggles
Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell, a sharpshooter himself who posted career-high shooting numbers last season, also offered his encouragement to the young rookie, believing Knecht’s moment will come soon.
“Every young player in the league wants it right away,” Russell said. “The Basketball Gods have a funny way of disguising those blessings. So for him, just know that your time is coming and just be ready. I think he’ll be ready when his time comes.”
Knecht’s numbers so far
So far this season, Knecht has played in all ten Lakers games, though he went scoreless in the loss to the Phoenix Suns, missing three field-goal attempts, including a three-pointer.
Knecht’s season-high came against the red-hot Cleveland Cavaliers, where he put up 18 points despite making just 2 of 7 attempts from deep. Though his shooting struggles are evident, the Lakers’ faith in him and Redick’s encouragement could help him turn things around.