JJ Redick Reveals Who He’s Benching Dalton Knecht For

Dalton Knecht has quietly emerged as a huge bright spot for the Los Angeles Lakers over the past few weeks.

As a result of injuries, Knecht has started in L.A.’s last three Games. In the second Game, he scored a career high 37 points.

So far this year he is averaging 11.3 points on 52.3 percent shooting from the field and 46.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

Many have wondered if the last three outings have cemented Knecht as a starter going forward.

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— Game 7 (@Game7__) November 22, 2024

Apparently not.

This week, Redick revealed Knecht would be headed to the bench in favor of Rui Hachimura.

“My expectation is that Rui would stay in the starting lineup,” Redick said.

“He’s been awesome for us and I think for the group, whatever role as a starter – I know I talked about that not being a role – but whatever designation Dalton has, whether he’s coming off of the bench or as a starter, I don’t think his role changes at all.

“And I think for him mentally, there’s no effect to that. He’s just going to be the same guy. We have to, as a coaching staff, we have to be cognizant about getting him longer stretches on the court.”

Redick says he expects Hachimura to return to the starting lineup in Dalton Knecht’s place when he is healthy. He says it will be on the coaching staff to find more minutes for Knecht though. https://t.co/b1PrmecICE

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 22, 2024

Knecht going to the bench in favor Hachimura feels like a step back for Los Angeles, particularly given what the rookie brings to the table.

That said, if the Lakers start losing games all of a sudden – Knecht will likely return to the starting lineup and Hachimura will probably be benched in his place.

Anthony Amador

A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school Games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.