It is a common belief in sports that a player should not lose his job due to an injury. This is especially true in the case of a short-term injury. Rui Hachimura has only missed one week, but his sprained ankle may have changed the entire outlook of the season for the Los Angeles Lakers. Because? Because over the past week, Dalton Knecht looked like one of the best shooters in all of basketball.
In his last three starts, Knecht has scored 88 points on 28-of-46 shooting from the field and 16-of-26 shooting from deep. The 17th overall pick in June NBA Draft He saved the best for last on Tuesday when, in a 124-118 victory over the Utah Jazz, he scored 37 points and tied his rookie record with nine 3-pointers in a single game. At one point in the second half, Knecht scored 22 consecutive points for the Lakers.
He’s the type of long-range explosion the Lakers have lacked during the LeBron James-Anthony Davis era. This is a team that won a championship with a below-average half-court offense and made the third-fewest 3-pointers in the NBA the last season. Part of the logic behind hiring JJ Redick as head coach was that a former elite shooter from his playing days could help redesign the Lakers’ offense to maximize spacing. So far this season, the Lakers have taken small steps in the right direction. They’re 23rd in 3-point attempt percentage up from 28th a season ago, and the addition of Knecht is only pushing them further toward modernity.
When the Lakers landed Knecht 17th overall, Redick reportedly began designing plays for him immediately on draft night. The problem with doing so for a rookie in a bench role is that finding a rhythm in a low-usage role is extremely difficult. Knecht was used to being the focal point of his college offense at Tennessee, and he has had much more success this season in games where he has played significant minutes. He has now played seven games in which he has won more than 20 minutes of play and 20 minutes in which he has won less. When he plays 20 minutes or more, he shoots 53.1% on three-pointers. When have you played the least? It is at 31.6%.
The rhythm helps, but it also fits. Shooters amplify the players around them and, in turn, are amplified by their best teammates. It’s harder for defenses to direct appropriate resources toward Knecht when he shares the court with James and Davis, and stopping them becomes much harder for them when they have to guard Knecht. Hachimura poses some of the same problems, but even as a high-percentage shooter, his volume is still pretty low. Hachimura’s value comes more from his ability to use the threat of his jump shot to create better looks near the basket. That’s a skill that means more off the bench than with James, Davis and Austin Reaves on the court, as the Lakers have discovered since benching D’Angelo Russell.
The Lakers could play the two of them together, and almost certainly will in some lineups, but their perimeter defense leaves a lot to be desired even with Cam Reddish in a starting role. Knecht, Hachimura, and Reaves are below-average defenders at best. Davis is one of the best defenders in the NBA, but asking him to cover those three responsibilities leads to foul trouble, burnout and potentially injuries. Knecht and Hachimura may be the fourth and fifth best Lakers right now, but there’s really only room in the starting five for one of them.
And if his last three games have been any indication, Knecht is a better fit and benefits much more from playing alongside the starters than Hachimura. The Lakers have been looking for this type of shooter for years. Now that they have him, it’s up to Redick to continue maximizing him with as many minutes and shot attempts as possible.
