Will Dalton Knecht be the next Lakers rookie darling?

Dalton Knecht fell to the Lakers in the 2024 NBA Draft. Can he and the Lakers make him an instant contributor this season?

Welcome to our Lakers Season Preview Series! For the next several weeks, we'll be writing columns every week day, breaking down the biggest questions we have about every player the Lakers added this offseason. Today, we take a look at Dalton Knecht.

On NBA draft day, no one had Dalton Knecht getting drafted by the Lakers, mainly because he was projected as a lottery pick and the Lakers had the No. 17 pick. Yet, somehow, Knecht fell and the Lakers righted a wrong, drafting the best available player.

In college, Knecht played the role the Lakers desperately need: a wing who can shoot threes and has the size and mobility to score against multiple defenders. During his sole season at the University of Tennessee, he averaged 21.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists and shot 39% from 3-point range.

What is his best-case scenario?

We saw glimpses of what Knecht can be for the Lakers this summer. He was sensational in Summer League play, averaging 21.3 points and shooting 39% from deep. By the end of Summer League, the last thing he looked like was a rookie. Like young Lakers great before him, Knecht appeared like a ready-made player who will make an immediate impact.

With the Lakers prioritizing youth development and Knecht shinning, the best-case scenario for him this season would be becoming this season's Brandin Podziemski or Jaime Jaquez Jr.; a rookie who went in the middle of the draft and contributed immediately to winning basketball.

If Knecht becomes the best version of himself early on, fans will quickly forget what could have been with Podziemski and Jaquez Jr. and rejoice in having a fun, explosive young player at the wing.

What is his worst-case scenario?

If things break bad for Knecht, I already know how that happens. It will be a combination of a lack of opportunity and an inability to perform when given one.

The Lakers have a Goldilocks problem. They are not good enough to be contenders but not bad enough to be in the lottery. This team has been play-in-bound since 2021 and if things go south this season, they'll likely be flirting with those 7-10 spots once again.

So, if the Lakers are struggling to make the playoffs and have to win games, maybe Knecht just doesn't fit into this season's plans. Perhaps Redick will take a page from Darvin Ham’s book and give his older players every opportunity to prove they can't perform before going younger. This is exactly what happened to Max Christie last season, as he only got significant playing time from Ham when other players got injured.

Or maybe Knecht is still a rookie, and a couple of summer games and college stats don't immediately translate to the NBA.

He, instead, struggles with physicality and gets cooked defensively. When he puts on the Lakers jersey for an actual regular-season game, his 3-point shooting percentages drop, just like they have for many Lakers players before him.

What is his most likely role on the team?

Over the past three seasons, Austin Reaves has been the only Lakers rookie to really have a breakout start. In his ‘21-22 season, Reaves averaged 7.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while playing in 61 games and averaging 23.2 minutes per contest.

I think Knecht has the ability to reach these numbers, given his ability, but will unlikely get the chance to show it, given that I’m skeptical that Redick will be giving him 23-plus minutes a night.

Based on his college tape, his Summer League play, and how his game fits into the NBA, I think Knecht will be the player fans hope he is. The conversations will surround him as the best value pick in the draft and we'll see him getting All-Rookie team considerations by season's end.

Undoubtedly, he'll have his growing pains, his bad stretches and slumps, but when we look back at his rookie campaign, I think we'll be talking more about what he accomplished than what he didn't.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.