Stunning statistics show how important it is that Dalton Knecht plays more with the Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers struck gold on the night of the 2024 NBA Draft. Former Tennessee Volunteers star Dalton Knecht, who was almost unanimously projected as a potential top-10 pick, fell to No. 17 overall, giving Los Angeles a golden opportunity to land a potentially important player.

Knecht struggled to find consistent playing time early in his rookie season, but when he was on the court, the Lakers were significantly the better team.

Knecht appeared in each of the Lakers’ first 10 games and averaged 16.9 minutes per game. During this time, he averaged 6.1 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.1 three-point field goals, giving 13.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2, corresponds to 3 threes per 36 minutes.

Some are concerned that Knecht has hit 28.9 percent of his shots from distance, but after dropping the Memphis Grizzlies and Philadelphia 76ers games, he has missed 38.5 percent of his attempts.

That alone is reason to be excited to see what he could accomplish with more playing time. Yes, he had bad nights of filming, but the essentials for him were efficient shooting and a fearless approach to creating distance for the framers.

Knecht’s value lies not only in how well he shoots outside of the Memphis and Philadelphia games, but also in his overall ability to make the Lakers an all-around stronger team.

When Knecht is on the court, Los Angeles is currently outscoring its opponents by 5.7 points per 100 possessions. In comparison, the Lakers are ahead by 5.0 points per 100 possessions – an impressive increase of 10.7 points by this metric.

The most notable aspect of Knecht’s tremendously positive influence is the simple fact that Los Angeles is better on both ends of the floor when he plays.

When Knecht is on the court, Los Angeles currently posts an offensive rating of 121.5 – the second-highest mark among Lakers who have received at least 100 minutes of playing time. When he’s on the bench, the team scores 112.1 points per 100 possessions – the second-worst mark on the team.

That 9.4-point swing is an indication of how much stronger the Lakers are on offense when Knecht is available to create space and apply consistent pressure on the opponent.

The more surprising aspect of Knecht’s value is the fact that the Lakers were also better on defense. At this point, he wouldn’t be mistaken for an elite defender, but Los Angeles has a defensive rating of 115.8 when he’s on the court and 117.1 when he’s off the court.

Admittedly, it’s still too early to put too much stock in these numbers, but Knecht giving the Lakers a massive boost on offense without weighing them down on defense is important information.

Going forward, the Lakers should make it a priority to use Knecht in a more prominent role. Like all rookies, he will struggle at times, but his mere presence on the court is a positive for the Lakers – and his dynamic scoring potential can only be realized through trial and error.

If Knecht continues to provide the value he has, the Lakers could find a Rookie of the Year candidate and the type of cornerstone they’ve been looking for.