JJ Redick reveals Dalton Knecht’s plan during the G League

LOS ANGELES – In the middle Los Angeles Lakers‘ solid start to the 2025-26 season, and along with several new additions to the roster, Dalton Knecht found himself largely out of the rotation and now on task in G League. Knecht’s assignment will begin Tuesday night for the South Bay Lakers’ final home game of the month, and Lakers head coach JJ Redick admitted he will be on hand for the game.

After the Lakers’ practice on Tuesday, JJ Redick explained what the team’s thought process was in assigning Dalton Knecht to the G League and what he hopes the second-year wing can get out of the opportunity.

“When we first talked about it as a staff, we were led by RP (Rob Pelinka). RP communicated with Dalton and his agents early on before we made the final decision,” Redick said. “I just told him he has to play. He’s going to get opportunities on this team. He’s had some opportunities already, he’s played well in some. He’s going to help us at some point. Right now, he’s got to play and he’s got to have fun playing.”

When the Lakers first drafted Knecht, the prevailing thought was that they grabbed a lottery talent that ended up falling into the middle of the first round. He started his rookie year strong, earning a spot in Redick’s rotation almost from the start.

But in the midst of a voided trade at the deadline that would have sent Knecht to the Charlotte Hornets, he fell out of the rotation and seemingly struggled to regain his confidence. His summer league performance caused a mini-panic among Lakers fans. But Redick chalked up Knecht’s slow summer to burnout from practice overload.

This season, Knecht has appeared in 20 games, including one start, with just over 15 minutes per game. He averaged 6.4 points and 1.9 rebounds on 47.1 percent shooting from the field, 36.2 percent from the 3-point line and 66.7 percent from the free throw line.

His most memorable game of the season came on October 29 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, a game in which Austin Reaves knocked down the game-winner. Knecht came off the bench and scored 15 points while shooting 7 of 12 from the field.

Redick did not mention whether Knecht’s assignment in the South Bay will be a regular occurrence throughout the season. But it certainly couldn’t hurt to keep getting him significant development reps.