The 2024-25 NBA season was full of ups and downs for one Los Angeles Lakers rookie.
Being drafted by a team as iconic as the Los Angeles Lakers is a dream for NBA prospects.
Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht made that dream come true when the Lakers chose him for the 17th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Knecht emerged as an explosive outlook in his final year at the NCAA, winning consensus amid other accolades. Because of its value, DK also had a great start with the Lakers.
Selected midway through the first round, Knecht certainly has many positive aspects to his game. Obviously, many believed that the Lakers had hit money with underrated prospects.
Looking back on his rookie season, Knecht was on the map in November 2024. The 23-year-old then scored 114 points on five games of stretches, and at the same time climbed the NBA Rookie of the Year ladder.
In fact, he averaged 13.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game in November 2024, playing 26.4 minutes per game.
According to data provided by Sofa Core, Knecht averaged 9.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game, 46.5% from the field and 35.8% from Deep to NBA trading deadline.
But after he was dealt with the Charlotte Hornets in Mark Williams’ trade, things began to go downhill for a great outlook.
The Lakers have rescinded the trade, but Knecht’s confidence has become a huge hit, and it appears that director JJ Redick has begun to lose faith in the highly promoted newcomers.
Knecht’s confidence was expected to be shaken by the core after returning to the Lakers. Thanks to mentorship from Lakers veterans, he ultimately regained it, but the damage had already been done.
The Lakers rookie had a terrible thing in February 2025, with an average of just 5.1 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.4 assists featured in just 13.6 minutes per game.
DK averaged 19.2 minutes per game in March 2025, but his numbers fell to 10.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.
Coach Redick once again cut Knecht’s minutes in April 2025. By the time the 2025 NBA playoffs began, it was clear that Knecht was no longer a crucial part of Redick’s rotation.
Due to context, Knecht only played two games in the playoffs. He averaged 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game, which is not surprising given his limited exposure.