Los Angeles Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht had a hilarious answer when asked if he'll participate in the Rising Stars Game.
The Los Angeles Lakers drafted Dalton Knecht with the 17th overall pick last summer and he's proven to be a key piece of this rotation in Year 1. The Tennessee product is averaging 9.4 points on 34% shooting from three-point land.
Given his numbers, Knecht will likely receive an invite to the Rising Stars Game on February 14, which showcases the talent of the top first-year and second-year players as well as the G-League's best players as well.
Knecht was asked about potentially participating in the Rising Stars and his response was quite comical.
Via Daniel Starkand:
“Nah I haven't really thought about it but I'm pretty sure now I will.”
I guess Knecht hadn't given it much thought until the reporter brought it up. He ranks seventh among rookies in scoring, sitting behind the likes of Zach Edey, Jared McCain, Stephon Castle, and Zaccharie Risacher, among others. However, Knecht is struggling immensely from deep lately and he's caught some flack from Lakers Nation because of it.
Knecht has drained just 12 of his last 63 triples for a brutal 19% clip. Some NBA fans have claimed it's the “LeBron James effect”, which seems completely unfair. The reality is that Knecht has just hit a rookie wall and opponents are learning how to defend him better. Every single first-year player struggles at some point in their rookie campaign. He'll break out of it.
As for the Lakers, they're sitting at 21-17 and just beat the Miami Heat on Wednesday evening. Knecht scored just two points in 13 minutes of action. Head coach J.J. Redick has given him drastically fewer minutes during this slump, but once Knecht starts to figure it out offensively, Redick will definitely put him on the court more. He's averaging 21.5 minutes per night.
Los Angeles is back in action on Friday evening against the Brooklyn Nets at Crypto.com Arena.
