Former Tennessee basketball star Dalton Knecht is settling into his new role with the Los Angeles Lakers. Knecht has started to find his groove with the Lakers’ NBA Summer League team.
The Lakers still haven’t won a game in the Summer League after four games, but Knecht is finding his groove. He has averaged 22.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists over the past two games and 17.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists since the start of Summer League.
Knecht got off to a rough start shooting in the Lakers’ first two games but has still been the team’s leading scorer in three of the first four games. That was not a bad start for a top-ten player who fell to No. 17 in the draft.
Since the first game, Knecht has drastically improved his shooting. He shot 24% from the field and 28.5% from three in his first two games but shot 50% from the field and 45% from three in the Lakers’ most recent game against the Houston Rockets.
While Knecht was overlooked because of his age, the NBA world is starting to figure out who Knecht is going to be as a player in the Association. He can do pretty much anything the Lakers will need him to do this season and could be a big asset as a rookie.
Dalton Knecht tonight vs the Rockets…
— Frankie Vision (@Frankie_Vision) July 13, 2024
25 PTS (9-18 FG, 5-11 3PT)
6 REBS
4 AST
1 STL
1 BLK
He’s better than I thought he was.. RT!!! pic.twitter.com/8MIHNoNBQs
The Lakers have three more Summer League games scheduled, with the next game on Monday, July 15, at 10:30 PM EST against the Celtics on NBA TV.
The NBA Summer League is set to end July 22, but the Lakers’ Summer League season will likely end earlier since they have yet to win a game this summer. The NBA season will tip off in late October, and that will be the first time we will see Knecht play under the L.A. lights.