Lakers’ JJ Redick says $18 million first-rounder outperforms Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic in training camp
Lakers’ JJ Redick says $18M first-rounder outperforms Austin Reaves, Luka Doncic in training camp originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as your preferred source by clicking here.
The Los Angeles Lakers are preparing for the regular season and several players will have to step up their efforts, with LeBron James expected to miss the first two weeks. LA is looking to bounce back after a disappointing end to last season. One player in particular, second-year guard Dalton Knecht, is trying to prove his worth after a rough Summer League performance.
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“The guy overdid it after the season. And I think in Summer League he was exhausted. He would get here at 5 a.m., get shot, then do two workouts with our Summer League team and in the weight room,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said.
Knecht was the subject of trade rumors throughout the offseason after a rocky rookie year.
“Dalton Knecht was nearly banished to Charlotte midway through the 2024-25 NBA season for the Los Angeles Lakers. The second-year scorer may be able to avoid such a heinous fate this season, but it’s hard to imagine him avoiding a trade entirely once Rob Pelinka hits the ground running in 2025-26,” Lake Show Life’s Syvatoslav Rovenchuk wrote.
While his Summer League performance was disappointing and he appears to be one of the most replaceable players on the roster, Redick recently revealed something surprising: Knecht has statistically been the most consistent scorer in preseason practices.
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“JJ Redick says Dalton Knecht has had the best offensive training camp of any Lakers player – they track the data and he’s scored 42 more points than any other teammate in live play and with about a 60% shooting rate. But Redick says Knecht’s ceiling will match his defense,” Lakers insider Dave McMenamin posted.
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If Knecht wants meaningful minutes under Redick this season, he will have to execute defensively. The second-year player is entering a crucial year where he must show growth on both ends of the court.
Showing such a scoring gap on a team as deep and complete as the Lakers is impressive. All that remains for Knecht is to find a way to translate this success into real-world game situations.
