Posts

Red hot rookie Dalton Knecht has played and shot so well since replacing injured Rui Hachimura in the Lakers’ starting lineup that head coach JJ Redick is going to have a hard time keeping him out of the starting lineup.

In the three games he started in place of Hachimura, Knecht averaged 26.0 points and 5.0 rebounds while making 16 of his 26 threes for a 61.5% shooting percentage from deep on a volume of 8.7 attempts per game. Knecht also showed everybody that his game is not just limited to volume 3-point attempts. During these three games, Dalton also averaged 1.0 steals and 0 turnovers despite posting a team 3rd best solid 20.3% usage rate.

While Hachimura has played and shot well as a starter, Dalton brings a juggernaut level of firepower to the starting lineup that the Lakers simply have never had and which catapults their starting lineup to another level.
Knecht not only showed he could hold his own as a starter but also proved he was exactly the type of elite high volume 3-point shooter the Lakers have desperately needed to complement LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

With their other volume 3-point shooter D’Angelo Russell moving to the bench, the Lakers would be smart to keep Dalton Knecht in the starting lineup to provide the volume 3-point shooting Russell used to provide.
The Lakers fully understand what they have in Knecht and know their major development priority should be to keep him in the starting lineup to accelerate his development and take best advantage of his great skillset.

The Lakers’ challenge in keeping Dalton Knecht in the starting lineup is what position does he play, who starts with him in the backcourt, and what other starting lineup changes should Lakers make to optimize the rookie?