Lakers’ Second-Year Bounces Back at Summer League

In a Tuesday-night Summer League bout in the California Classic, Lakers’ sharpshooter Dalton Knecht finally saw a bounce-back game.

Drafted in 2024, Knecht has been thought of to be an integral role player for Los Angeles. But his time with the team has been somewhat up-and-down, as showcased by his short Summer League stint.

In his first game — a Lakers’ loss — he shot just 3-for-13, failing to hit a single triple in going for 10 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals overall. He was able to stuff the stat sheet in other areas, but failed to look like a bona fide top scoring option when he likely should’ve. 

Things didn’t look much better in the team’s second game, though LA won by 20. Knecht scored four points in total on 2-for-7 shooting, again failing to hit from beyond the arc.

Summer League isn’t the end-all for any prospects, even soon-to-be second-year players. But Knecht was already one of the older players in his own class, and at 24 is somewhat expected to stand out on the Summer League floor.

Luckily, he finally looked the part Tuesday night, going for 25 points on 50% shooting, hitting the same mark on eight 3-point attempts. Even more, he was able to add eight rebounds in finishing as a plus from the starting lineup.

The Lakers' season won't directly hinge on Knecht's success. But his being a strong scorer and wash defender alongside all-time players like LeBron James and Luka Doncic would do wonders for the team's rotation.

As a frosh, Knecht scored 9.1 points, grabbed 2.8 rebounds and dished 0.8 assists while shooting 46% overall and 38% from three. While those were solid first-year numbers, they'll need slightly more consistency across the board in Year 2 to boost his minutes.

The Lakers now look to Las Vegas Summer League in the coming days.