Sitting at 10-4 through the first 14 games of the season, the Los Angeles Lakers are surprisingly only 0.5 games back of the first seed in the Western Conference.
The team has won six in a row in large part due to the emergence of rookie Dalton Knecht. Knecht has brought some much-needed balance to the starting lineup. He effectively replaced an injured Rui Hachimura — and at this point, the Lakers would be foolish to take Knecht out of the main group featuring LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Anthony Davis, and Cam Reddish.
Knecht is coming off a 37-point effort versus the Jazz. It set a Lakers record for most points scored by a rookie in a singular game. Knecht also tied the NBA all-time rookie record by hitting nine 3-pointers. On the year, Knecht is shooting 52.3 percent from the floor and 46.4 percent from three. He’s on a meteoric stretch where you’d be hard-pressed to find another rookie performing at this clip (perhaps only Jared McCain is in the conversation).
Knecht is a knock-down shooter — though he’s far from being a one-trick pony. He can take players off the dribble quite well. He’s got above-average athleticism, shown when he’s finished at the rim via layups in traffic or by dunking with authority. Knecht’s chemistry with Reaves is apparent, and it’s not surprising that the two are very close off the court.
Knecht’s overall functionality as a basketball player is a seamless fit next to the Reaves-James-Davis trio. Being an older rookie, there’s a level of maturity present. The moment never seems too big for Knecht. His basketball IQ, skill set, and awareness on the court have quickly made him an indispensable member of this team.
In the process, Knecht’s level of play has risen the ceiling of this group. Depth is still a bit of an issue across the board — though having D’Angelo Russell and Hachimura come off the bench gives the team some scoring punch. There’s been a concerted effort to grab a big man via trade. With the salaries of Russell, Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, and former first-round pick aka bust Jalen Hood-Schifino, the Lakers could cobble together approximately $30 million in salary to acquire one or two other pieces.
LA also has two unprotected first-round picks to dangle in deals. Here’s where things get tricky. The front office has been reticent to move those picks with the reality James likely won’t be playing too much longer. Including those picks in a trade — only for them to become top-five picks a few years later would be disastrous.
At the same time, James and Davis are both playing at all-league levels currently. There’s a window available now where you may want to maximize James’ ability as this dominant force despite him turning 40 years of age this year. Could the Lakers make moves on the fringes without giving up either first-round pick? Should LA go all-in on acquiring as much talent as possible while effectively mortgaging the future for a shot at a possible ring? Would the Lakers even be good enough to compete for a ring with ancillary moves?
All of these questions are wildly fascinating. Understandably so, GM Rob Pelinka has his work cut out for him.
