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Dalton Knecht and the LA Lakers hosted the Brooklyn Nets on Friday. The rookie entered the game with 2:55 remaining in the first quarter to take out Jaxson Hayes. Knecht did not attempt a shot in his brief appearance and could not add anything to his box score.
JJ Redick gave Knecht more minutes in the second period but the former Tennessee star couldn’t deliver. He finished the first half with two points on 0-for-2 shooting from deep. The rookie made 2 of 3 free throws for his only points in the game.
Despite Knecht’s struggles, the LA Lakers led 51-45 at halftime.
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Dalton Knecht played the second part of the third quarter and couldn’t contribute much again. He had an offensive rebound but missed a dunk with 1:53 remaining. D’Angelo Russell grabbed the missed attempt and pushed it to the other end for a Ben Simmons slam.
Knecht stayed to start the fourth quarter but was substituted for good with still 10:32 remaining. Austin Reaves came on to finish the game. The No. 17 pick in this year’s draft watched from the sidelines as his team eked a 102-101 win.
Dalton Knecht struggles to snap out of a shooting slump
Dalton Knecht looked like he could challenge for the Rookie of the Year award in November. That month, he averaged 13.6 points per game on 50.7% shooting, including a sizzling 46.0% from deep.
Since then, the rookie has been on a slump. He averaged just 6.8 PPG in December as his shooting dropped to 40.7% with a ghastly 15.6% efficiency from behind the arc. Lakers coach JJ Redick has steadily limited his minutes as the team’s first-rounder struggled to find his stroke.
Knecht’s inability to consistently hit shots continues to hound him in January. He is averaging 6.5 PPG this month on 36.4% shooting with 22.7% efficiency with the deep ball. Over his last three games, he is 0-for-12 from 22 feet and beyond.
Redick used to routinely draw plays for Dalton Knecht off timeouts. During his slump, he has hardly touched the ball.
Edited by Michael Macasero
