Dalton Knecht’s Message to Lakers After Shaky Debut originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Dalton Knecht had a strong first season with the Los Angeles Lakers, parlaying his strong final season at Tennessee into a rotational role where he appeared in 78 games and averaged 9.1 points.
But Knecht stumbled out of the gate in the first action of his second season, struggling in the team’s summer league debut on Saturday. The team’s first-round pick from 2024 suited up for the California Classic, with the Lakers losing 89-87 to the Golden State Warriors.
Knecht scored just 10 points in Saturday’s game, going 3-for-13 from the field including 0-for-6 from behind the 3-point arc.
After the game, Knecht sent a strong message to his Lakers teammates vowing to improve.
“It took a while for me to get going; I didn’t get going at all,” Knecht said. “I just have to come out ready to play better tomorrow and shake off the rust. My teammates were great, they came out competing, picking up full court, rebounding and crashing the glass, so I’m proud of my team.”
Despite the shaky performance, Knecht has been working hard to improve after his first season with the Lakers. The 24-year-old told Dave McMenamin of ESPN that he has been doing three-a-day workouts since the season ended a few weeks ago.
“Starting at 6, I started since the season ended, right after the loss, pretty much started right away,” Knecht said. “Didn’t take any time off, so just getting in the gym starting at 6 a.m. and then going with the guys at 10 and coming back later at night to get up as many shots as I can and just working on my game and craft.”
Related: Calls Mount for Dalton Knecht Trade After Lakers’ Loss to Warriors
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
