The Los Angeles Lakers' Summer League run brought about a familiar theme for Dalton Knecht. The guard went on a couple of runs, but his lack of shooting efficiency continues to raise concerns. Add in how the season ended and what exactly the Lakers have in the young guard remains a bit of a mystery.
Early in the season, it seemed the team might be on the path of finding another surprise contributor as they did with Austin Reaves. This was quickly put to bed with Knecht dealing with expected rookie struggles.
Still, there is no denying the scorer's value and how often he came up big when the franchise needed it most. The problem is a familiar one for the Lakers, and it is a lack of consistency. Knecht has limited value as a defender and must consistently create offense for Los Angeles to justify having the guard on the floor.
With Reaves and Luka both often on the floor, you can't afford to put many limited defenders on the floor if they aren't providing immense value on the other end. This is something the Lakers' shooter must understand as he is entering his second season.
Lakers Young Guard Dalton Knecht Needs to Show More Consistency
The Lakers have an interesting mix of perimeter options entering the 2025-26 season, with Jake LaRavia, Bronny James, Marcus Smart, and Gabe Vincent all looking to earn minutes. With LaRavia's recent numbers and Smart's ability as a defender, it is easy to make the case that Knecht could quickly fall out of favor in Los Angeles. The shooter needs to quickly establish his value and make it impossible to keep him off the court.
If the consistency doesn't improve, it is very possible the Lakers label the shooter a bust and move on. It wouldn't be the first time this decision was made, with Knecht being shipped to the Charlotte Hornets before the deal fell through due to physical concerns with Mark Williams. Regardless, the point remains that Knecht is on borrowed time unless he quickly takes a leap.
Summer League didn't give any reason to believe that this had happened, with the shooter appearing to be the exact same player. Still, there is plenty of time left with preseason reps remaining and J.J. Redick giving all of his players a chance at the start of the season. Knecht is on the clock if his career with the Lakers is going to continue.