Lakers Rookie Dalton Knecht Has Cooled Off

Los Angeles rookie Dalton Knecht has seen a recent rough stretch.

Dec 8, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht (4) dunks over Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara (33) in the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

In a nine-game stretch from mid to late-November, Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht looked the part of a third co-star alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

In those games, he scored nearly 19 points per game, shooting a blistering 55% overall and 52% from 3-point land on nearly eight attempts. He even started in six of those games, providing over 30 minutes of impactful minutes.

Now, Knecht has cooled off. 

On Sunday night, Knecht played just 13 minutes, hitting two of his four shots and scoring just five points in a win over the Grizzlies. He finished with a -2 plus-minus in the six-point win.

In six games prior to Sunday, Knecht had scored just 6.7 points on 36% shooting overall, hitting just 13% of his four 3-pointers attempted per game. Needless to say, he’s hitting a rough stretch after riding high to start his career.

In turn, the Lakers have too. In that very same span, the team saw just two wins in six tries, only beating the down Jazz and Trail Blazers, with losses to the Timberwolves, Heat and Hawks.

On the season, Knecht — the No. 17 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft — has still been a worthy add. He’s scored 10.8 points with 38% 3-point shooting, mostly being the perfect piece alongside LA’s heliocentric core. But he’ll need to recapture his November magic if the Lakers stand a chance at competing in a stingy Western Conference.

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