Lakers' Dalton Knecht: Leading scorer in Friday's loss
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Knecht closed Friday's 101-93 loss to the Thunder with 20 points (7-17 FG, 6-13 3Pt), six rebounds and four assists across 33 minutes.
The rookie led the Lakers in scoring as he continues to take on a bigger role in the offense. Knecht has started six of the last eight games and scored at least 14 points in each start, averaging 22.5 points, 5.5 boards and 4.8 threes in 34.0 minutes over those six outings.
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Lakers' Dalton Knecht: Good to go against OKC
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Knecht (quadriceps) is available for Friday night's game against the Thunder, Jovan Buha of The Athletic reports.
Knecht will play through a right quadriceps injury Friday for a second straight game. He's coming off a 20-point performance against the Kings on Wednesday, and over his last 10 games (including five starts), he has averaged 15.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists over 28.0 minutes per game.
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Lakers' Dalton Knecht: Leads Lakers in scoring
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Knecht posted 20 points (8-15 FG, 4-10 3Pt), eight rebounds, one assist and two steals across 31 minutes during Wednesday's 119-101 win over San Antonio.
Knecht led the Lakers in scoring ahead of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and the rookie's role on offense continues to grow with each passing game. Knecht has been at his best when deployed in a starting role, as he's averaged 19.7 points per game while shooting 48 percent from three-point range in his six starts.
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Lakers' Dalton Knecht: Available vs. San Antonio
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Knecht (quadriceps) is starting Wednesday against the Spurs, according to Khobi Price of The Orange County Register.
Knecht was initially listed as questionable and then bumped to probable, so his availability isn't entirely surprising, although his move to the starting unit will undoubtedly shake things up following the 27-point loss against the Suns on Tuesday. The rookie out of Tennessee is averaging 14.0 points per game over his last 10 appearances (five starts).
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Lakers' Dalton Knecht: Retreats to bench Saturday
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Knecht is not in the Lakers' starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Nuggets, Khobi Price of The Orange County Register reports.
After starting in the Lakers' last four games, Knecht will revert to a reserve role Saturday due to Rui Hachimura (ankle) returning from a four-game absence. Knecht averaged 23.8 points and 4.8 rebounds over his last four starts, and while he is no longer starting, head coach JJ Reddick relayed Saturday that the rookie forward will see extended playing time off the bench, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
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Lakers' Dalton Knecht: Falls back to earth with 17 points
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Knecht recorded 17 points (7-14 FG, 3-7 3Pt), four rebounds and one assist over 39 minutes during Thursday's 119-118 loss to the Magic.
Knecht had a decent shooting night Thursday after wowing the crowds with a scintillating three-point barrage that drew praise from his All-Star teammates Tuesday. Now that Knecht has proven his worth, he will find himself in competition with Rui Hachimura (ankle) for playing time. It will be interesting to see how the first unit shakes out when Hachimura returns, and Cam Reddish could be the odd man out if coach JJ Redick chooses to ride with a stronger three-point threat.
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Lakers' Dalton Knecht: Sets new career high in points
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Knecht finished with 27 points (10-17 FG, 5-10 3Pt, 2-2 FT), seven rebounds, two assists and two steals across 37 minutes in Saturday's 104-99 win over the Pelicans.
Knecht continues to impress with his play and made the most of the third start of his career, taking advantage of the absences of both Rui Hachimura (ankle) and Cam Reddish (leg). The 27-point output was a career-best mark for the rookie, who also set new personal bests in field goals made while tying his mark for more threes in a single game. Knecht's place in the lineup will depend on Hachimura's return, but the rookie is doing everything in his power to continue seeing a sizable role in the rotation.
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Lakers' Dalton Knecht: Chips in 14 points vs. San Antonio
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Knecht logged 14 points (6-11 FG, 2-4 3Pt) and three rebounds over 26 minutes in Friday's 120-115 win over the Spurs.
Knecht made the second start of his NBA career Friday on the heels of a 19-point performance against the Grizzlies on Wednesday. The rookie first-round pick had just three points in his first start Nov. 6 against Memphis, but he had a more efficient outing this time around. Knecht could make his third career start Saturday against the Pelicans if Rui Hachimura continues to be sidelined due to a sprained right ankle.
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Lakers' Dalton Knecht: Getting starting nod
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Knecht is in the starting lineup for Friday's game versus the Spurs, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Knecht will replace Rui Hachimura (ankle) in the starting five Friday. Knecht recorded three points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal in 27 minutes during his only other start this season.
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Lakers' Dalton Knecht: Moves back to bench
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Knecht is not in the starting lineup for Friday's game against the 76ers, Jovan Buha of The Athletic reports.
Knecht made a spot start in the loss to the Grizzlies on Wednesday, posting three points, four rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes. He'll return to his regular role off the bench due to the return of Rui Hachimura (illness).
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Lakers' Dalton Knecht: Gets hurt late in loss
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Knecht (jaw) left Wednesday's 131-114 loss to the Lakers in the fourth quarter and didn't return. He supplied three points (1-7 FG, 1-7 3Pt), four rebounds, two assists and one steal across 27 minutes before exiting.
Knecht took an elbow from Jake LaRavia to the jaw and was removed from the contest. The severity of the injury is unclear, but there were only a few minutes left in the game and the Lakers trailed by double-digits, so it's possible the team was just being cautious. Per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com, Knecht did not require any X-rays on his jaw postgame. His next chance to play will come Friday against Philadelphia.
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Lakers' Dalton Knecht: Heads to locker room
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Knecht went back to the locker room during Wednesday's game against the Grizzlies with what appears to be a jaw injury, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com reports.
Knecht caught an elbow to the face from Jake LaRavia late in the fourth quarter and exited the game to go back to the locker room. Considering the Lakers are down double-digits with three minutes to play, it's unlikely Knecht will return.
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Lakers' Dalton Knecht: Joins starting lineup
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Knecht will move into the starting lineup Wednesday versus Memphis while Rui Hachimura (illness) is unavailable, Jovan Buha of The Athletic reports.
Knecht enters the first start of his NBA career having exceeded 15 minutes of action on four occasions thus far, but his playing time has fluctuated overall. Knecht is a candidate to receive a steady diet of spot-up looks for a Lakers lineup in need of shooting.
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Lakers' Dalton Knecht: Out Friday
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Knecht will not play in Friday's preseason finale versus the Warriors due to a knee issue, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com reports.
Knecht apparently bumped his knee in Thursday's big win over the Spurs. Given it is the second night of an exhibition back-to-back, it is not surprising to see Los Angeles lean on the side of caution with its promising rookie. He accumulated 35 points (10-18 FG, 8-13 3Pt, 7-8 FT), seven rebounds, an assist, two steals and two blocks across 32 minutes off the bench in Thursday's contest. He projects to be one of the first players off the bench for Los Angeles as a depth forward option this season.
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Lakers' Dalton Knecht: Shines in preseason debut
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Knecht scored 16 points (7-13 FG, 2-7 3Pt) while adding three rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block in 25 minutes off the bench during Friday's preseason loss to the Timberwolves.
The 17th overall pick in the 2024 Draft flashed the kind of offense he can provide from the second unit for the Lakers this season, tying Austin Reaves for the team scoring lead. Knecht doesn't have a clear path to consistent minutes in a Lakers wing rotation that includes LeBron James, Reaves, Cam Reddish and Max Christie, but if he shows he can fill up the basket against NBA-caliber defenders, the 23-year-old rookie should be able to carve out a role.
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Lakers' Dalton Knecht: Leads LAL to win with 20 points
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Knecht guided to Lakers' Summer League squad to victory Thursday behind 20 points (7-of-16 FG, 4-of-4 FT), seven rebounds, two triples, one assist, one steal and two turnovers in 29 minutes.
Knecht took the night off Wednesday for rest, but he was right back at it Thursday evening, and he again led the Lakers' Summer League team in scoring. He may be able to earn a sixth-man role in Los Angeles this season, and if that's the case, he could potentially have some low-end value as a points and triples guy. We'll be monitoring him over training camp and the preseason.
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Lakers' Dalton Knecht: Drops 20 points in Summer League
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Knecht generated 20 points (7-18 FG, 2-8 3Pt, 4-5 FT), nine rebounds and one assist across 31 minutes in Wednesday's 80-76 loss to the Heat in the California Classic.
Knecht will exit the California Classic having averaged 14.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals across 26.3 minutes per game. However, the rookie first-rounder shot 12-for-43 (27.9 percent) from the field and 4-for-15 (26.8 percent) from beyond the arc. It's not abnormal for a rookie to struggle with efficiency during Summer League, and there shouldn't be much concern regarding Knecht's ability to score after averaging 21.7 points per game last season at Tennessee.
