Plenty of Los Angeles Lakers fans are optimistic or even excited about Dalton Knecht, the team’s first-round draft pick last month. Knecht was a dead-eye shooter at the University of Tennessee, where he won the SEC Player of the Year award this past season, and some have called him the most NBA-ready player in this year’s draft class.
After a couple of poor games to start this year’s summer league, he has gotten himself going. On Friday against the Houston Rockets, he scored a game-high 25 points on 9-of-18 shooting from the field and 5-of-11 from 3-point range.
Some have said the rest of his game greatly lags behind his shooting and overall offensive capabilities. He did have six rebounds and four assists on Friday, and Lakers head coach JJ Redick talked about him improving the non-shooting aspects of his game, especially his defense, on Friday (at 3:00).
“We know he can shoot the ball,” Redick said. “I spent 30 mins with him yesterday on the court after practice with live defense, going through some actions and just working with him on creating separation. He shot pretty darn well. I know he can shoot it.
“So it’s the other parts of his game. The defense. The rebounding. The passing. Just the feel of the game that I have also been impressed with… Obviously, we know in the NBA you have to be a two-way player to make an impact, and defensively he’s got to improve like any rookie.”
Redick also praised Knecht’s passing, especially in transition. As Knecht finds his offensive game at the NBA level, a key to getting playing time from Redick will likely be how well he does in other areas.
Going into the draft, Knecht’s defense was the biggest concern scouts had about him. However, he does seem to have the basic athleticism and wingspan to become at least a decent defender at the next level.