Latest news with #DaltonKnecht
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Dalton Knecht reportedly had a higher combine score than Cooper Flagg
Last year, the Los Angeles Lakers were very lucky to get to take University of Tennessee sharpshooter Dalton Knecht with the No. 17 pick in the NBA draft. Knecht, who averaged 21.7 points a game and shot 39.7% from 3-point range, was widely expected to be one of the first 10 players taken in the draft, but when he was available at pick No. 17, the Lakers didn't try to get cute or overthink it. At first glance, he may seem like the prototypical 3-point specialist who is slow of foot and lacks explosiveness. But he actually displayed ample athleticism during last year's draft combine. His vertical leap was measured at a very solid 39 inches, and he finished second in lane agility time and tops in the shuttle run. Advertisement This year, the No. 1 pick in the draft will almost assuredly be Cooper Flagg from Duke University. Flagg is a 6-foot-9 do-everything forward who excels on both ends of the floor, and he has been lauded for his fluid athleticism. However, according to journalist Iztok Franko, Knecht did better overall in the draft combine than Flagg did. Indeed, Flagg's vertical leap was measured at 35.5 inches, and he came in at 10.64 seconds in the lane agility test, which was eighth, and he was 18th in the shuttle run at 2.92 seconds. Knecht clocked in at 2.79 and 10.56 seconds in the lane agility and shuttle run, respectively. Advertisement This all should provide hope that Knecht can become, at the very least, a serviceable defender who won't hurt his team. His defense is presumably what prevented him from becoming a consistent part of head coach JJ Redick's rotation this season, but some significant improvement in that category, as well as continued growth offensively, should result in more playing time. This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Dalton Knecht reportedly had a higher combine score than Cooper Flagg
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Lakers 2024-25 season player grades: Dalton Knecht
A year ago, the Los Angeles Lakers seemed to be in a sort of malaise as a franchise. After a geyser of hope had emerged following their appearance in the Western Conference finals in 2023, they got run down in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs in five games by the Denver Nuggets. Then-head coach Darvin Ham got exiled and was replaced by a neophyte in JJ Redick, and the franchise looked like it needed a serious injection of good fortune. It got just a bit of that in the draft, when it was lucky enough to take University of Tennessee stud Dalton Knecht with the No. 17 pick. Advertisement Knecht had been widely expected to be one of the first 10 players chosen, but for some bewildering reason, he fell into the Lakers' laps. His rookie season had plenty of ups and downs, but he got through it in one piece, and his potential hasn't been dampened. Dalton Knecht's season stats In 78 regular-season games with the Lakers, Knecht averaged 9.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 19.2 minutes a game while shooting 46.1% from the field and 37.6% from 3-point range. Overall Analysis Bereft of depth, the Lakers needed Knecht to play significant minutes right away, and it wasn't long before he started to deliver. In the month of November, he averaged 13.6 points in 26.3 minutes a game and hit 50.7% of his shot attempts while going 46% from downtown. Advertisement But in early December, his shooting became as frigid as the weather at Mammoth Mountain, and his playing time went down, especially as the Lakers became more of a defensive-oriented unit. Just as it looked like he was perhaps perking up a bit in late January and early February, fate delivered him a weird curveball. The Lakers agreed to send him, forward Cam Reddish, a 2031 first-round draft pick and a 2030 pick swap to the Charlotte Hornets for Mark Williams, a young and promising center. It was thought that Williams would team up with recently acquired generational superstar Luka Doncic for years to come — until Williams reportedly failed his physical and the trade was rescinded. Knecht could've pouted and felt rejected, but he responded like a professional. He rediscovered his mojo in March and posted double figures in scoring in nine of 11 games, only to see his playing time almost completely disappear by the end of the month as Redick established his playoff rotation. Again, Knecht didn't complain, even though he got a total of three minutes and 40 seconds of playing time in L.A.'s five-game loss in the first round of this year's playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Advertisement Although he's first and foremost a 3-point specialist, he has shown at least a rudimentary ability to score adeptly from all three levels. He moves well without the ball and gets out in transition, and he finishes strong at the rim by dunking. His defense has been a problem, and it is presumably a big reason he has had trouble holding onto his spot in the rotation. However, he does possess ample athleticism, and therefore, he should have the physical tools to at least become a neutral defender. What's next for Knecht? Knecht is under contract for three more seasons, and the final two years of his contract are team options. In the meantime, expect his name to consistently come up in trade rumors over the next several weeks. He's a young talent whose ceiling could be relatively high but is still hard to discern at this point, and that presumably makes him an attractive piece to other teams. Overall Grade: C This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers 2024-25 season player grades: Dalton Knecht
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Lakers 2024-25 season player grades: Dalton Knecht
Lakers 2024-25 season player grades: Dalton Knecht A year ago, the Los Angeles Lakers seemed to be in a sort of malaise as a franchise. After a geyser of hope had emerged following their appearance in the Western Conference finals in 2023, they got run down in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs in five games by the Denver Nuggets. Then-head coach Darvin Ham got exiled and was replaced by a neophyte in JJ Redick, and the franchise looked like it needed a serious injection of good fortune. It got just a bit of that in the draft, when it was lucky enough to take University of Tennessee stud Dalton Knecht with the No. 17 pick. Knecht had been widely expected to be one of the first 10 players chosen, but for some bewildering reason, he fell into the Lakers' laps. His rookie season had plenty of ups and downs, but he got through it in one piece, and his potential hasn't been dampened. Dalton Knecht's season stats In 78 regular-season games with the Lakers, Knecht averaged 9.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 19.2 minutes a game while shooting 46.1% from the field and 37.6% from 3-point range. Overall Analysis Bereft of depth, the Lakers needed Knecht to play significant minutes right away, and it wasn't long before he started to deliver. In the month of November, he averaged 13.6 points in 26.3 minutes a game and hit 50.7% of his shot attempts while going 46% from downtown. But in early December, his shooting became as frigid as the weather at Mammoth Mountain, and his playing time went down, especially as the Lakers became more of a defensive-oriented unit. Just as it looked like he was perhaps perking up a bit in late January and early February, fate delivered him a weird curveball. The Lakers agreed to send him, forward Cam Reddish, a 2031 first-round draft pick and a 2030 pick swap to the Charlotte Hornets for Mark Williams, a young and promising center. It was thought that Williams would team up with recently acquired generational superstar Luka Doncic for years to come — until Williams reportedly failed his physical and the trade was rescinded. Knecht could've pouted and felt rejected, but he responded like a professional. He rediscovered his mojo in March and posted double figures in scoring in nine of 11 games, only to see his playing time almost completely disappear by the end of the month as Redick established his playoff rotation. Again, Knecht didn't complain, even though he got a total of three minutes and 40 seconds of playing time in L.A.'s five-game loss in the first round of this year's playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Although he's first and foremost a 3-point specialist, he has shown at least a rudimentary ability to score adeptly from all three levels. He moves well without the ball and gets out in transition, and he finishes strong at the rim by dunking. His defense has been a problem, and it is presumably a big reason he has had trouble holding onto his spot in the rotation. However, he does possess ample athleticism, and therefore, he should have the physical tools to at least become a neutral defender. What's next for Knecht? Knecht is under contract for three more seasons, and the final two years of his contract are team options. In the meantime, expect his name to consistently come up in trade rumors over the next several weeks. He's a young talent whose ceiling could be relatively high but is still hard to discern at this point, and that presumably makes him an attractive piece to other teams. Overall Grade: C
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
3 trade targets for the Philadelphia 76ers in the upcoming offseason
The main goal for the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2025 offseason is to get healthy. They finished 24-58 in what was a miserable season due to all of the injuries suffered by Joel Embiid, Paul George, Tyrese Maxey, and plenty of others. If the Sixers get those three healthy, they will be back in business. However, the Sixers could also use some reliable depth. When one looks around the landscape of the NBA Playoffs at the moment, the teams that went deep into the postseason relied on their depth. It wasn't just a Big 3--like in Philadelphia's case--it's been about making sure players off the bench can help. Advertisement Therefore, there are a handful of moves the Sixers can make to improve their overall depth as time moves on. Here are three trade targets that make sense for Philadelphia: Kenrich Williams Apr 11, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kenrich Williams (34) passes the ball pu the court during the second quarter against the Utah Jazz at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images 2024-25 stats: 6.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.4 apg, 0.6 spg, 48.3% FG, 38.6% 3FG, 16.4 mpg Williams will make $7.1 million in 2025-26 and had a team option for the 2026-27 season. He is a reliable player who can knock down an open 3 and gets after it on the defensive end. The Sixers could always use a player of his stature on the roster. He is somebody that does the dirty work off the bench and would be able to give Philadelphia a spark. He shot 40.9% on catch-and-shoot 3s per the NBA's tracking database and that bodes well for a team like the Sixers. Dalton Knecht Apr 4, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht (4) reacts after a 3-point basket in the first half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images 2024-25 stats: 9.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.3 spg, 46.1% FG, 37.6% 3FG, 19.2 mpg Advertisement The Lakers already tried trading Knecht at the deadline in an effort to acquire a big man. Maybe the Sixers can swoop in and offer up Andre Drummond as a possibility. The Sixers would then clear some more cap space to re-sign Quentin Grimes while Knecht would come off the bench and knock down some wide-open looks. He was a key contributor on LA's playoff team in 2025 so he has the experience of playing in high pressure situations which would help Philadelphia in this case for the second unit. Cam Johnson Mar 29, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Cameron Johnson (2) looks on during the second half against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images 2024-25 stats: 18.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.4 apg, 0.9 spg, 47.5% FG, 39% 3FG, 31.6 mpg Johnson would be a big addition if the Sixers were interested. He is a legitimated 3-point shooter, can make plays for others when he puts the ball on the floor, and his $20 million salary is reasonable for today's market. The Sixers would likely have to send Brooklyn the No. 3 pick, but that isn't a bad thing. Philadelphia would be bringing in a proven player in Johnson while creating more cap space to bring back both Grimes and Guerschon Yabusele in free agency--by moving off the No. 3 pick's salary for the 2025-26 season. Johnson would slide into the starting lineup and be a reliable offensive option. This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: 3 trade targets for the Philadelphia 76ers in the upcoming offseason
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mock trade gives Lakers young, rising center with high motor
The Los Angeles Lakers are obviously in the market for a starting-caliber defensive center, and they have been looking for such a player for some time now. It will likely be their highest priority this offseason. A few days ago, ESPN's Dave McMenamin said that before the Lakers' failed trade for Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams, they called the Atlanta Hawks about Onyeka Okongwu. Okongwu is an emerging 6-foot-10, 240-pound big man who is a very strong rebounder and has some rim-protecting ability, as well as the ability to finish strong at the rim. He is also a player who has a pretty high motor, which is something the team needs. Advertisement Colby Faria of The Sporting News came up with a trade idea that would give the Lakers Okongwu for what seems like a reasonable price. In this deal, they would give up rookie sharpshooter Dalton Knecht, guard Gabe Vincent and an unprotected 2031 first-round draft pick. Via The Sporting News: "The Lakers would finally have their answer when it comes to a starting-caliber center in Okongwu, who averaged career highs of 13.4 points per game to go along with 8.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per contest in just under 28-minutes a night," Faria wrote. "Okongwu will earn a reasonable $15 million over each of the next two seasons." Okongwu is 24 years of age and is fairly athletic, and he could be a part of the Lakers' core in this scenario alongside Luka Doncic for a long time. He also happens to be a native of the Southland — he attended Chino Hills High School and played one year of college basketball at the University of Southern California. He would be a more inexpensive get for L.A. than someone such as Nic Claxton, who has been linked to the team and also fits the profile of the type of center the team needs, but will make $25.35 million next season. This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Mock trade gives Lakers young, rising center with high motor
