Lakers' Rookie Could be Vital to Playoff Hopes

Somehow, weeks later, the Los Angeles Lakers’ acquisition of superstar Luka Doncic still doesn’t feel like reality. And yet, the 6-foot-9 forward is again set to take the court with LeBron James tonight in the team’s bout with the Charlotte Hornets.

Doncic is a DNA-altering player. Career averages of 28.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game point to him being a centrifugal piece, and his driving the Mavericks to multiple deep postseason runs shows just how elite he is in that role.

He’s one of a few players on the planet — alongside those like Nikola Jokic and LeBron James — capable of always making the right offensive play. Be that scoring himself at all three levels, or more importantly, passing to any singular spot on the court when the double-teams eventually come.

Enter rookie Dalton Knecht, who prior to the deadline seemed to be a Charlotte Hornets before the trade was rescinded.

One of the oldest players in the 2024 NBA Draft class, Knecht has long had a reputation as a sharpshooter and talented offensive piece. But with the deadline’s developments, he’ll likely be relied on sooner than anticipated.

So far this season, Knecht has scored 9.4 points on 46% shooting so far this year, hitting on 36% of his 3-pointers. He’s an obviously good fit alongside Doncic with his ancillary skills, but he’ll need to continue his consistency overall.

Come postseason time — which the Lakers are cruising toward as the No. 5 seed in the West — Knecht will be a large piece of the offensive puzzle when defensive begin to key in on both James and Doncic.

While rookies typically aren’t heavily relied on in the postseason, Knecht’s unique age could play a factor in him being impactful sooner rather than later.

For now, Knecht will continue to churn through his rookie season, hoping to add even more to his arsenal in the purple and gold. The Lakers and Hornets tip off at 9 p.m. CT tonight in Los Angeles.