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When the Los Angeles Lakers took the court for their second game in Las Vegas during NBA Summer League, there was one face noticeably absent in second-year wing Dalton Knecht. Knecht suffered a calf cramp during the team’s first summer league game in Vegas, but that wasn’t the main reason why he did not play against the New Orleans Pelicans in Game 2.
Dalton Knecht was held out of the Lakers’ second summer league game in Vegas due to general rest, as per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Knecht played with the Lakers’ entry at the California Classic and the team just wanted to prioritize rest. It wasn’t really out of concern for the calf, which is good news for Lakers fans.
Knecht had gotten off to a slow start at the California Classic, going 5-0f-20 from the field and 0-of-9 from three-point range in the first two games up in Golden State before finding his rhythm in the Lakers’ third game. During the Lakers’ final game at the California Classic, Knecht exploded for 25 points on 9-of-18 shooting from the field and 4-of-8 shooting from the three-point line.
His final performance in Golden State was a welcome sign for Lakers fans who were no doubt worried seeing Knecht’s early summer performances. Knecht had a decent showing in his first game in Vegas this year finishing with 15 points and shooting 3-0f-7 from the three-point line.
It was a whirlwind of a rookie season for Knecht this past year. He started out strong, earning a spot in the Lakers regular rotation early, and even dropping a career-high 37 points in just the 14th game of his career. But his play and minutes dropped off following the rescinded trade between the Lakers and the Hornets that would have had Knecht going to the Hornets and Mark Williams joining the Lakers.
Overall, Knecht appeared in 78 games, including 16 starts, at a little over 19 minutes per game. He averaged 9.1 points and 2.8 rebounds with splits of 46.1 percent shooting from the field, 37.6 percent shooting from the three-point line, and 76.2 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
