What Rookie Dalton Knecht Adds to Charlotte Hornets

On Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Hornets continued the string of shocking trade deadline’s eve deals, with Los Angeles sending out rookie Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish and two draft selections to nab center Mark Williams away from Charlotte.

Similarly to the Lakers deal with Dallas for superstar Luka Doncic earlier in the week, the Knecht for Williams trade was secretive, only coming to light when the details became official. There was no indication that the Hornets wanted to give up their up-and-coming third-year center amidst a breakout season, or that the Lakers had any intention of parting with their first round pick in 2024.

Still, things happen.

But what will Charlotte be getting in adding Knecht — who quickly became a fan favorite in the purple and gold — to the roster?

A 6-foot-6 sharpshooter and general scorer, Knecht was one of the older draftees in the ’24 class, but had seen such a consistent rise throughout his college career that he garnered lottery buzz. There were older reports that the Hornets potentially fancied him with the No. 6 overall pick — one’s that seem slightly more true now, given they’ve gone after him on the trade market.

Across his short 48 games for the Lakers, Knecht averaged 9.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game while shooting 47% overall and 36% from beyond the arc. He played in just under 21 minutes per contest. Maybe most importantly, Knecht was able to see a fine start in one of the higher profile spots in the league, doing so next to mega-star LeBron James.

Per an earlier scouting report from NBA Draft on SI regarding the former Volunteer: "When Knecht does need to create for himself, he’s a natural playmaker and bucket getter. He boasts good athleticism and can rise up and dunk with power. He moves really well and can attack the cup with force.

Prior to the season, many had Knecht pegged as a potential Rookie of the Year winer. And while he hasn’t put up stats strong enough to be that with the Lakers so far, he’s had a strong start to his professional career, and certainly could with a less competitive Hornets squad.

In Charlotte, Knecht will add another talented perimeter-focused player to the backcourt. Over half his shot attempts are 3-pointers, which should fit in just fine with the talented duo of LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller on the wing.

There’s no guarantee he’ll start, but it would certainly make sense to move forward with one of the brightest newly-added prospects on your team sooner rather than later.

If not, though, Knecht could add sufficient firepower as a bench scorer when the stars need rest.

Regardless, Charlotte now has backcourt options with Knecht added to the roster. And even more flexibility in general having added two highly valuable draft selections via LA.

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