JJ Redick drops brutally honest truth bomb on Dalton Knecht

October 17, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

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LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers are running out of time to consolidate their roster and cut down to the league maximum of at least 15 players by the start of the regular season. The preferred method for the Lakers appears to be a trade, as per Keith Smith of Spotrac, but so far nothing has materialized. Third-year guard Dalton Knecht is one of the players who is potentially on the bubble as the final days of training camp tick down.

Dalton Knecht got off to a blazing start during his rookie season with the Lakers, but amid a rescinded trade and falling out of the rotation, he never was able to regain his spot. Ahead of the team’s final preseason game on Friday against the Denver Nuggets, head coach JJ Redick was honest about why Knecht has been on the outs regarding the rotation.

“I think the biggest thing is the team changed. The team changed, the needs changed, the fit changed. I think he got better as a player over the last two years,” Redick said during his pregame press conference. “I think each guy, particularly last year, each guy got plenty of opportunities with the amount of injuries we had. I think just coming into this year, we’ve added a lot of wings and he’s in a tough spot right now.”

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Knecht played 12 minutes in the Lakers’ preseason opener back on Oct. 5, going scoreless and finishing with two rebounds and one assist. He had a better outing in the next preseason game on back-to-back, finishing with 11 points in 22 minutes albeit shooting only 3-of-9 from the field and 1-of-4 from the 3-point line.

He did not play against the Sacramento Kings in the preseason game No. 3, and then he only played six minutes in preseason games No. 4, missing the only two shots he took and going scoreless again. Despite the way his career has gone and the uncertainty coming into this year, Knecht remains confident in his own abilities.

“It’s always high. My confidence will never drop no matter what the situation is,” Knecht said back during Lakers Media Day. “I know what type of player I am and what I’m capable of. So I always just think that I’m one of the best players on the court.”

This past season, Knecht appeared in 54 games, including one start, at a little over 10 minutes per game. He averaged 4.2 points and 1.4 rebounds with splits of 45.5 percent shooting from the field, 34.2 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 72.7 percent shooting from the 3-point line.

As Redick mentioned, the Lakers had various injuries last season, but Knecht was unable to take advantage of the situation. His name came up in trade rumors leading up to the deadline, and then continued into the offseason, but so far nothing concrete.

And as far as what’s expected of him out of Redick and the coaching staff, he believes he has a grasp on what he needs to do to earn minutes.

“I would say it’s probably gonna be the same as my rookie year and sophomore year,” Knecht said during Media Day. “I would say that shoot the ball when I’m open and rebound the ball. So those are the two biggest things. And just got to show high effort on the defensive end. I think those are the three biggest things. A little big different offense, more movement so I can go back door and stuff like that, so it’s gonna free up a lot of other guys, not just me.”

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