Lakers Must Play Dalton Knecht to Avoid Playoff Elimination

The Los Angeles Lakers are in a tough spot in their first-round playoff series with the Minnesota Timberwolves after going down 3-1 in the series. After playing the same five guys for the entire second half and falling short, clearly, something needs to be changed.

The only player on the bench with any upside is rookie sharpshooter Dalton Knecht. While the team needs more size and defense, which Knecht doesn't provide, he could provide a spark with his scoring ability.

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Before being a part of the voided trade for center Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets, Knecht looked like a promising first-round pick. However, he has eased out of the rotation as the season has progressed.

Even if the Lakers go on to lose Game 5, playing Knecht seems like a smart move. With the team likely making big changes this offseason (like trying to acquire a similar player to Mark Williams at center), playing Knecht has three potential benefits.

The first benefit is that he actually helps the team and gives them a fighting chance in the game. Injecting something new into the rotation seems like a necessary thing for the Lakers at this point, so might as well see if that newfound energy and life in the series is Knecht.

Another benefit is that he could boost his trade value with one or more good games in the series. His value was in a good spot before, but probably isn't as high now, but one great playoff game could easily change that. If the Lakers feel like they aren't in good shape to come back in the series anyway, might as well see what you have on the roster heading into next season.

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Finally, Knecht could play well and become a significant part of the rotation next season. A huge part of having guys like LeBron James and Luka Doncic as your star players is the need for shooters around them to give them space to work.

If both are back next season, a shooter like Knecht is important to have, whether in the starting lineup or off the bench.

Overall, even if the Lakers don't think Knecht is the answer to coming back in the series, there seem to be many reasons to give him the shot. He could at least, and worst case, he plays well in a loss and becomes a more significant asset heading into the offseason.

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