NBA Notes: Lakers, Dalton Knecht, Wizards, Cavs, Evan Mobley

Lakers

Dalton Knecht’s rookie season started strong and then hit a wall. The Lakers sharpshooter averaged 12.2 points and shot nearly 44 percent from deep over his first 19 games last year, but his production dipped as defenses caught up.

By season’s end, he was down to 8.1 points per game and 34.8 percent from three, while his defensive issues became more apparent.

His rough Summer League didn’t help either. Knecht shot just 32 percent from the field and 23 percent from three, leading some scouts to question whether he’s plateaued. Rival executives told The Athletic’s Dan Woike that his trade value has cooled considerably — from a potential late first-round value to something closer to “a couple of seconds, maybe one.”

Still, the Lakers aren’t giving up on him. Coach JJ Redick said Knecht’s offensive ceiling remains high if he can commit to the little things that make winning players stand out.

“I’m very confident that when he’s confident, he’s a high-level offensive player in the NBA,” Redick said. “It’s the other stuff — defense, rebounding, communication — that he’s got to do consistently. When he’s doing those things, he’s an impact player.”

Knecht is entering the second year of a four-year rookie deal, giving Los Angeles time to find out which version of him is real — the early-season flamethrower or the rookie who faded down the stretch.

Wizards

The analytics aren’t kind to Washington. Not even close. In fact, ESPN’s Kevin Pelton projects the Wizards to win just 14.2 games this season, the lowest mark his model has produced since 2010.

That would put them dead last in the NBA, a full six games under their betting over/under of 20.5. Pelton noted that the number feels extreme, but also reflects how bare the roster looks after multiple sell-off trades.

“After trading away veterans at the deadline and again this past summer,” he wrote, “Washington doesn’t have a single player who rates in the league’s top 130.”

The Wizards are deep in the teardown phase under president Michael Winger and GM Will Dawkins, and another long winter seems inevitable.

Even if they manage to clear 20 wins, the bar in D.C. is mostly about development and draft positioning, not results.

Cavaliers

Evan Mobley is getting some lofty praise from people who know stardom when they see it. During a recent NBA TV broadcast, Hall of Famers Tracy McGrady and Carmelo Anthony both said they believe the 23-year-old big man could emerge as an MVP candidate this season.

“I think he could be an MVP candidate,” McGrady said. “I think the Cavs will be near the top of the East, and if he takes another leap offensively to go with that defense, he’s in the conversation.”

Anthony agreed, adding that true MVPs have to be “loud” — or the kind of players who dominate on both ends and lead a winning team.

“If he takes that next step, which Coach Kenny Atkinson has talked about, he’s an MVP candidate,” Anthony said.

Mobley was the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year last season and earned his first All-Star selection, averaging a career-high 18.5 points. Team president Koby Altman has already said he wants the offense to run more through Mobley this year, expanding his playmaking role.

He even received a single MVP vote last season, finishing 10th. If he pairs another leap with continued elite defense, Cleveland’s frontcourt cornerstone could go from underrated to undeniable, and keep the Cavs near the top tier of the East for years to come.