Down 14 after one quarter and 28 after two, the Los Angeles Lakers were seemingly doing their best to double their deficit every quarter.
It didn’t matter if Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler, to name only a few, weren’t in uniform last night. It was the same JJ Redick, as he often is when his team is making him want to pull his hair out. The Lakers left San Francisco after getting romped by the Golden State Warriors in a 26-point blowout loss.
Even though these games don’t count, they are especially meaningful for guys near the bottom of the depth chart. Of course, we are talking about the Dalton Knechts and Bronny Jameses of the world. While neither had a particularly good game last night, these are pressing times for Knecht, the 25-year-old former second round pick who has been rampantly speculated as a candidate to be waived before the start of the regular season.
Knecht Has Failed to Make a Mark After Two Lakers Preseason Games
Redick didn’t make much mention of Knecht during training camp. Perhaps we are now seeing why. Through two preseason games, Knecht hasn’t exactly boosted anyone’s confidence in him. At this point, it is becoming more and more likely that the Lakers and Knecht shake hands within the next couple of weeks, according to team reporter Jovan Buha.
“I did not like his disposition and energy and vibe through the first three quarters,” Buha said, reacting to Knecht’s performance in Tuesday’s loss to the Warriors. “He had some really bad possessions … just getting blocked at the rim and just feeling like he was going through the motions at times. … I think underneath the hood, it was a bit of a disjointed performance where I feel like he was pretty bad through the first three, three-and-a-half quarters.”
Continued Buha: “I think with Bronny and Hardy and Vando, it just seems to me like Dalton is the guy who is the odd man out.”
Buha also noted that Knecht likely understands his time in Los Angeles is coming to an end. Reacting to one listener’s comment that read, “Dalton looks sad and disinterested,” Buha flatly agreed with him.
The Expectation Around Knecht
Training camp was indicative of how the Lakers feel about Knecht. It seems like Knecht could use a change of scenery.
“… Knecht wasn’t mentioned — directly or indirectly — by Redick or president of basketball operations/general manager Rob Pelinka during any of their media availabilities,” Lakers reporter Khobi Price wrote for the California Post. “Other wing players such as free agent additions Quentin Grimes, Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams, second-year forward Adou Thiero or rookie wing Cameron Carr had gotten significantly more attention as discussion points. Not a good sign for Knecht, whom multiple rival executives expect to be the odd man out as the Lakers look to trim their roster from 16 players on standard NBA deals to the league maximum of 15.”
What makes the Knecht situation hard on some fans is knowing that the 25-year-old was the second consecutive Lakers first-round draft pick to fail to pan out. Knecht showed flashes of a highly promising future as a rookie. In nearly two years since then, it has been far from pretty.
Lakers Expected to Cut Ties With 6’6″ SF After ‘Sad’ Performance Versus Warriors