Dalton Knecht Stats Tonight: How did Lakers' first round pick fare in first NBA start vs Grizzlies? (Nov. 6)
Dalton Knecht earned his first NBA and LA Lakers start on Wednesday against the Memphis Grizzlies. The Lakers were extremely thin on the frontcourt with Rui Hachimura and Anthony Davis sidelined, offering Knecht a spot in the first five. He didn't waste any time trying to find his rhythm early on, attempting two 3-pointers straight away.
However, Knecht failed to convert either shot. He finished the quarter playing 9:54 minutes, scoring three points after making a 3 on his third attempt. Knecht played only five minutes in the second quarter. He attempted one more 3 but missed it. He added a rebound, but other than that, it was a quiet stretch for him. Knecht lost his minutes to Cam Reddish, who had a much better showing, at least defensively.
Dalton Knecht's night went from bad to worse in the second half. He played another 12 minutes but exited the game with a jaw injury. He didn't add much to his box score, going scoreless in that stretch, missing his three shot attempts.
He added one rebound and an assist before finishing his night in the fourth quarter.
Here are Dalton Knecht's stats vs. Memphis Grizzlies:
Dalton Knecht disappoints in golden opportunity
Dalton Knecht had a golden opportunity on Wednesday to prove his worth to the Lakers. He had already impressed in spurts, but this was a bigger chance combined than all of his previous outings after getting a start. However, Knecht seemingly blew that chance.
The rookie never looked in a good rhythm, and his confidence waned as the game progressed. The Lakers were probably banking on him to show up, especially after majority of their role players struggled. With Knecht being a non-factor, there's not much the Lakers could do against their counterparts, especially with Anthony Davis and Rui Hachimura's combined 43 points per game not at LA's disposal.
LeBron James waged a lone war for the team with 39 points on 62.5% shooting. The Lakers dropped to 4-4 on the season, including 1-4 on their five-game road trip. The team returns home Friday to host the 76ers at Crypto.com Arena.