Dalton Knecht Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Jokic, Hachimura, R. Williams, Warriors

November 22nd, 2024 at 7:25pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nuggets got some very good news ahead of Friday night’s showdown vs. the defending Western champion Mavericks, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link), who says three-time MVP Nikola Jokic has rejoined the team and will be active on Friday against Dallas.

Jokic had missed Denver’s past three contests, having been listed as out for personal reasons. As Charania details, the superstar center and his wife welcomed a newborn son on Thursday night.

We have more from around the Western Conference:

Lakers forward Rui Hachimura is off the injury report and appears set to return on Saturday vs. Denver after missing four games due to a left ankle sprain, tweets Mark Medina of Sportskeeda. Rookie Dalton Knecht has thrived in the starting lineup over the past few games, but a new starting five featuring Hachimura won three games in a row prior to his injury. “My expectation is that Rui would stay in the starting lineup,” head coach J.J. Redick said, per Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. “He’s been awesome for us and I think for the group. … Whatever designation Dalton has, whether he’s coming off of the bench or as a starter, I don’t think his role changes at all. And I think for him mentally, there’s no effect to that. He’s just going to be the same guy. We have to, as a coaching staff, we have to be cognizant about getting him longer stretches on the court.”
In his first five games for the Trail Blazers this season, Robert Williams has provided a reminder of why he’s so valuable when healthy, averaging a career-high 10.8 points per game on 79.3% shooting while also contributing 6.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 1.2 steals in just 20.6 minutes per night off the bench. Williams, one of just two Blazers with a positive net rating, has long been viewed as a potential trade chip for Portland, but Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Substack link) wonders if there may actually be a stronger argument for the team keeping the big man, given how well he has fit. For what it’s worth, Bill Oram of The Oregonian (Twitter link) is strongly in favor of making Williams a trade chip, arguing it would be an “egregious dereliction of duty” not to move him.
With 13 players averaging between 11 and 30 minutes per game, the Warriors‘ approach to their rotation so far this season has been unprecedented, as Howard Beck of The Ringer writes. Even with De’Anthony Melton out for the season, head coach Steve Kerr is in position to deploy a 12-man rotation when everyone’s healthy, prompting Beck to explore whether that plan is sustainable and what Golden State’s ceiling might be.

L.A. Notes: Bamba, Clippers, Knecht, Vanderbilt

November 20th, 2024 at 11:30pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Clippers reserve center Mohamed Bamba is excited about his first two healthy bouts of the 2024/25 season, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Those games were also his first two with L.A. after the former lottery pick inked a one-year minimum deal this summer.

Bamba’s first outing for the Clippers on Sunday was fairly strong. In a win against Utah, Bamba played for 15 minutes, scoring nine points on 4-of-8 shooting from the floor and one made free throw, while also chipping in eight boards.

“It was really good,” Bamba said regarding the game. “I told myself out there today it wasn’t going to be a matter of making shots or scoring. It was going to be just trying to get extra possessions and things of that nature.”

Bamba scored three points in his encore performance on Monday. The big man missed the first month of the season with a chronic knee injury. He played through the ailment during his 2023/24 run with the Sixers, but the Clippers opted instead to sideline him for a month.

“It was annoying but it’s not one specific injury,” Bamba said. “I kept getting this pocket of fluid in my knee and it was frustrating because we couldn’t figure out why it was happening. Now, though, we have a plan to manage it moving forward.”

There’s more out of Los Angeles:

In a crowded West, the Clippers are seeking to thread the needle of competing while also developing their young players, according to Law Murray of The Athletic. L.A. is currently 8-7 on the year, and in the midst of a game on Wednesday. With All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard hurt indefinitely, Murray notes that fans are wondering why the Clippers are still leaning so heavily on veteran guards James Harden and Norman Powell, both on the wrong side of 30, and not giving opportunities to intriguing youngsters Jordan Miller, Kobe Brown, and Bones Hyland.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick has indicated that rookie wing Dalton Knecht has earned legitimate rotation minutes going forward – as well as the trust of coaches and teammates – thanks to his recent scoring output, per The Athletic’s Jovan Buha (Twitter link). Through his first 14 games, the Tennessee alum is averaging 11.3 points per contest on .523/.464/.923 shooting splits. With forward Rui Hachimura hurt, Knecht has started Los Angeles’ last three games. Across those starts, he averaged 26.0 PPG on .636/.615/.857 shooting.
Lakers reserve forward Jarred Vanderbilt‘s recovery from surgery on both feet in May has been slower than Los Angeles had anticipated it would be, per Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. The 6’8″ vet is expected to keep rehabilitating for at least two more weeks, at which time his progress will be reassessed. Price notes that Vanderbilt hasn’t played for L.A. since incurring a right mid-foot injury in February. The 25-year-old is in just the first season of a four-year, $48MM extension deal he inked during the 2023 offseason.

Pacific Notes: Ishbia, Durant, Ellis, James, Knecht

November 19th, 2024 at 8:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Suns owner Mat Ishbia told ESPN’s Shams Charania (video link) that he anticipates his team will be able to lock up Kevin Durant beyond his current contract, which expires in 2026.

“We expect Kevin to sign an extension and be with us for the long-term,” Ishbia said. “We hope he finishes his career here in Phoenix. That’s what we expect.”

Durant, 36, is currently sidelined by a left calf strain, but was averaging 27.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game prior to the injury. Durant has a $57.4MM salary next season, the final year of his current contract. He declined to sign a one-year extension before the regular season but can sign a two-year deal during the 2025 offseason.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Keon Ellis came off the bench and scored a career-high 33 points in a controversial one-point loss to Atlanta on Monday. The Kings guard made nine 3-pointers for shorthanded Sacramento. “The way he shot the ball tonight was definitely incredible and kept us in the game,” De’Aaron Fox told Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. “He had big moments for us, and then getting to the line down the stretch, he was big for us.”
LeBron James‘ increased play-making is one of five takeaways from the Lakers’ current five-game winning streak that Jovan Buha of The Athletic details. James is averaging 9.2 assists per game, the second-highest mark of his career. Another of Buha’s takeaways is the improved play of Max Christie, though he may not hold onto his rotation spot once injured players return to action.
Dalton Knecht has scored 60 points in the last three games and The Athletic’s John Hollinger describes the rookie’s impact on the Lakers in his latest column. The 17th pick of the draft has made 40.4% of his 3-point attempts. He has filled a role for a much-needed shooter to balance the offense.

Lakers Notes: Davis, LeBron, Reddish, Knecht

November 11th, 2024 at 8:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Lakers star Anthony Davis will visit an ophthalmologist today after getting poked in his left eye during Sunday’s game, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link). Sources tell McMenamin that Davis experienced swelling in the eye and had difficulty keeping it open. He wasn’t able to return to the game, but the appointment is considered “precautionary,” McMenamin adds.

The play occurred in the third quarter when Davis blocked a dunk attempt by Toronto center Jakob Poeltl, writes Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. As they met at the rim, Davis was inadvertently hit in the eye and fell to the court. Coach J.J. Redick told reporters that Davis was experiencing issues with his vision after the incident.

“I just know that he got poked in it,” Redick said. “He was having trouble seeing. Obviously taking a little bit of trauma to the eye, it takes a little bit of time to get your clear vision back. But other than that, no update.”

There’s more from Los Angeles:

LeBron James posted 19 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds Sunday night, making him oldest player in NBA history with triple-doubles in back-to-back games, McMenamin adds (Twitter link). With his 40th birthday approaching next month, James talked about the effort that goes into remaining one of the league’s top players. “It’s pretty cool that with the amount of miles I’ve put on the tires, lack of tread on these tires, and I’m still able to get up and down the highway and do it at a high level,” James said. “I just try to give everything to the game outside of the game before the game even starts, if that makes sense. I arrive here four to five hours before the game, and I’m already doing all the things to put me in position to be the best I can be when the fans are here and the ball is tipped and everybody’s going crazy.” James added that he “won’t do it until the wheels fall off, I’ll tell you that.”
Redick is impressed by the way Cam Reddish has adapted his game for the good of the team, per Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. Reddish made his second straight start on Sunday night, and he appears comfortable in that role. “You just kind of have to have a long-term view and really embrace the things required for that specific team to get on the floor,” Redick said. “And for us, having a defensive presence guarding the primary matchup, primary scorer, those are the things that we need Cam to do. I told him early in preseason, I said, ‘look, we’re going to figure out the offensive part of it and where we can have you feel like you have a role there. But full stop for you to get on the floor, it has to be on the defensive end.’ And over the last week, he’s really embraced that.”
Dalton Knecht hasn’t lost his confidence despite a rough start to his NBA career, Price adds. The first-round pick is a three-point shooting specialist, but he’s connecting at just 27.8% from beyond the arc in his first nine games. “I’m not speaking for him, but I think for shooters, it’s hard mentally when you get off to a slow start shooting the ball,” Redick said. “It can kind of weigh on you. I’ve talked to him about it, he believes the next shot’s going in every single time. And so do I.”

L.A. Notes: Vanderbilt, Knecht, Kawhi, Powell, K. Jones

October 18th, 2024 at 8:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt will be sidelined to open the 2024/25 regular season as he continues to rehab from surgeries on both feet in May, head coach J.J. Redick said on Thursday evening (Twitter link via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin). According to Redick, Vanderbilt will be out at least two more weeks, which means he’ll miss a minimum of five regular season games.

A rangy, versatile defender, Vanderbilt was limited to just 29 games due to foot injuries. Redick said last week that the 25-year-old hasn’t experienced any setbacks in training camp, but he has yet to take part in practice, contact or otherwise.

Here’s more on the NBA’s two Los Angeles teams:

No. 17 overall pick Dalton Knecht showed on Thursday why the Lakers believe he’ll be viewed as a draft-night steal, according to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. Knecht scored 35 points in 32 minutes off the bench, pouring in the Lakers’ last seven points of regulation and their first 13 of overtime. League executives say Knecht fell out of the lottery due to concerns about his age and defensive limitations, per Woike, but he appears poised to open his rookie season as a rotation player in Los Angeles.
Discussing the status of Kawhi Leonard‘s troublesome right knee, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue admitted the star forward experienced a setback at Team USA’s training camp, as Janis Carr of The Orange County Register relays. “The swelling was down, everything was going in the right direction,” Lue said. “He had worked hard to get to the that point and then once you start playing, you never know what’s going to happen.”
Clippers swingman Norman Powell spoke to Mark Medina of Sportskeeda.com about a wide variety of topics, including his first impressions of the team’s new arena, Leonard’s absence, and being challenged to step up on defense with Kawhi out. “Over the years, there’s been a focus on my scoring part,” Powell said. “But I’m tapping back into my defensive abilities and guarding as a two-way player. I love it. I know I can do it.”
After a strong camp and preseason, big man Kai Jones is set to open the season with the Clippers, tweets Law Murray of The Athletic. Since the team already has 15 players on guaranteed contracts, Jones will likely have his Exhibit 10 deal converted into a two-way contract prior to opening night, Murray adds.

Rory Maher contributed to this post.

NBA GMs High On Thunder’s Offseason Moves, Celtics’ Title Chances

October 8th, 2024 at 9:40am CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder made the best roster moves during the 2024 offseason, according to the NBA’s general managers. Within his annual survey of the league’s top basketball decision-makers, John Schuhmann of NBA.com writes that 37% of his respondents picked Oklahoma City as having the best summer, with the Sixers coming in second place at 33%. The Knicks got 20% of the vote share, while no other club received more than a single vote.

It was one of many favorable outcomes in the survey for the Thunder, who were overwhelmingly selected as the team with the best young core — 60% of GMs selected OKC, compared to 20% for the second-place Magic.

New Thunder guard Alex Caruso was chosen by general managers as the most underrated offseason acquisition, receiving 23% of that vote share, while last year’s Most Valuable Player runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was picked as this year’s MVP favorite (40%), narrowly edging Mavericks star Luka Doncic (30%).

The Thunder also received a handful of votes from the league’s GMs as the team that will win the 2025 NBA Finals, but at 13%, they finished a distant second to the Celtics, who earned a whopping 83% of the vote. Besides those two clubs, only the Mavericks (3%) received a vote to become this season’s champions.

Here are a few more interesting results from Schuhmann’s GM survey, which is worth checking out in full:

New Sixers forward Paul George got 60% of the vote as the offseason acquisition who will have the biggest impact in 2024/25, followed by new Knicks Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns at 13% apiece. The Towns trade, meanwhile, was named the most surprising offseason move, eking out George leaving Los Angeles for Philadelphia (27% to 23%).
Unsurprisingly, Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama was the overwhelming choice (77%) for which player the GMs would most want to start a franchise with. Gilgeous-Alexander and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic each earned three votes in that category, while Doncic got one.
The league’s general managers are high on No. 3 overall pick Reed Sheppard — the Rockets‘ guard is their pick to win the Rookie of the Year award (50%) ahead of betting favorite Zach Edey of the Grizzlies (30%). Sheppard also comfortably received the largest vote share (43%) when the GMs were asked which rookie will be the best player in five years. Spurs guard Stephon Castle (17%) and Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (13%) were the runners-up in that category.
There was no consensus among the GMs on which 2024 draftee was the biggest steal. Wizards guard Carlton Carrington, Kings guard Devin Carter, Pacers wing Johnny Furphy, Lakers forward Dalton Knecht, Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon, and Thunder guard Nikola Topic each received three votes to lead the way.
Among newly hired head coaches, Mike Budenholzer of the Suns is the one GMs feel will have the biggest impact on his new club. Budenholzer received 40% of the vote, beating out Kenny Atkinson of the Cavaliers and J.B. Bickerstaff of the Pistons (20% apiece). Meanwhile, Spurs guard Chris Paul (30%) and Raptors guard Garrett Temple (20%) are the active players that GMs feel would make the best head coaches down the road.
Asked what they’d change about the NBA, 20% of GMs said the rules related to the tax aprons, trades, and roster construction are too restrictive and/or should be “indexed to (a) team’s market,” per Schuhmann, making it the top response.

Lakers Notes: LeBron, Davis, Bronny, Christie, Knecht

October 5th, 2024 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

LeBron James and Anthony Davis will make their preseason debuts Sunday night against Phoenix, writes Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. Both players were held out of Friday’s loss to Minnesota, with coach J.J. Redick explaining that he didn’t want to risk using them after they played in the Olympics and had a heavy workload at training camp.

“We want to carry over with what we did [Saturday] at practice,” James said. “We were very intent on what we want to accomplish going forward. [Friday] was one of those first games. It’s been a while since a lot of guys have played in a game setting. And it looked that way.”

James had a good vantage point to watch his son, Bronny James in his first game against NBA competition. Bronny scored two points and shot just 1-of-6 from the field, but he led the team with three blocked shots.

“For him, it’s obviously an adjustment,” LeBron said. “Every rank that you climb, it’s always an adjustment to get used to it. When he went to high school, from middle school from high school to USC and now to the pros, it’s always an adjustment to make. The more time he’s out on the floor with pros, the speed, the cadence, you get better and better the more time you put on the floor.

“And you’ve got to think that he lost pretty much a third of last season because of the (heart) condition. But he’s gotten better and better every day. He continues to put the work in. And it’s up to us as the veterans and the guys out here to try to help him, help Dalton (Knecht), help all the young guys to get him better and better every day to help them accomplish what we want to accomplish.”

There’s more on the Lakers:

Redick was also encouraged by what he saw from Bronny, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Redick said Bronny has looked good in camp and is “easy to coach.”“He can do some things defensively at his size that are really unique, and I think can turn into a really disruptive defender,” Redick said. “That manifested itself. On the offensive end, he’s still figuring out who he is. That’s our job as a player development program just to build him in.”
There was a lot of attention on Bronny, but Max Christie made the biggest impact on Friday night, observes Jovan Buha of The Athletic. The 21-year-old shooting guard, who signed a four-year, $32MM contract this summer, started the preseason with 11 points, seven rebounds, two assists, one steal and two blocks in 34 minutes. He has also become more aggressive defensively — at Redick’s request. “He’s asked me to be kind of that dog on defense, pick up full-court,” Christie said. “I tried to do a little bit of that tonight. There’s a comfort level that I’m going to get a little bit more comfortable with. I haven’t really done that a lot in my career.”
The Lakers also got an encouraging debut from Knecht, who shot 7-of-13 from the field and tied for the team lead with 16 points, Buha adds. He displayed a quick release on his jumper and was competitive on the defensive end.

Pacific Notes: Hield, Knecht, Hyland, Eubanks, Suns

July 18th, 2024 at 8:28pm CST by Luke Adams

New Warriors sharpshooter Buddy Hield, who ranks 22nd all-time among NBA players in career three-pointers, will be the de facto replacement for the player who ranks sixth on that all-time list (Klay Thompson). Asked this week if he feels pressure to replicate the production and the outside shooting that Thompson provided for years in Golden State, Hield downplayed that idea.

“There’s no pressure,” Hield said, per Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. “Just come and do my job. What Klay has done for this organization has been tremendous. I love Klay a lot. I’ve watched him over the years. He’s special. The way he can get hot and the way he can just change the game and be the two-way player that he is, and the champion that he is. So, I don’t look at it as pressure. I think it’s fun just being in that role and seeing if I can get the same looks he got.”

Hield has never been as effective an all-around player as Thompson was in his prime years, and he certainly can’t match the former Warriors’ postseason accomplishments, having appeared in a playoff game for the first time this spring. However, the two players’ career shooting numbers are quite similar — Thompson has made 3.1 of 7.6 three-pointers per game (41.3%) in 793 contests, while Hield has knocked down 3.0 of 7.6 per game (40.0%) in 632 outings.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Dalton Knecht has been the best player on the Lakers‘ Summer League roster and already looks like a potential steal as the No. 17 pick in this year’s draft, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, who says the rookie forward projects to be in the top nine of L.A.’s rotation in the regular season. Entering Thursday’s contest, Knecht has averaged 22.0 PPG with a .412 3PT% in his first two games in Vegas.
Bones Hyland saw more playing time for the Clippers during the final month-and-a-half of the 2023/24 season and won’t have Russell Westbrook ahead of him on the depth chart in ’24/25. However, with Kris Dunn and Kevin Porter Jr. now in the mix in a Los Angeles backcourt that also features James Harden, Norman Powell, and Terance Mann, there’s still no clear path to regular playing time for Hyland, who remains on the trade block, according to Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Although Drew Eubanks decided well ahead of his player option deadline to opt out of his deal and become a free agent, he wasn’t necessarily set on leaving the Suns, as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic relays. “The interest was always there for me to return (to Phoenix),” said Eubanks, who ultimately agreed to a deal with Utah. “The notion of it being a ‘mutual split’ is just factually false. There were a lot of conversations about me coming back this next year from the moment the season ended and into free agency. At the end of the day, there were other opportunities and I had to make the best decision for myself and my family. Loved my year in Phoenix.”
The Suns will hire John Little as the head coach of their new NBA G League affiliate, the Valley Suns, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Little was previously part of G League coaching staffs with Maine and Wisconsin.

Lakers Notes: Bronny, Knecht, LeBron, Redick, St. Jean

July 7th, 2024 at 12:01pm CST by Rory Maher

Bronny James had an uneven debut with the Lakers on Saturday at the California Classic summer league, writes Anthony De Leon of The Los Angeles Times. The 55th overall pick of last month’s draft, James finished with four points (on 2-of-9 shooting), two assists, two rebounds and a steal in 22 minutes.

“Overall [I need to] just be aggressive, believe in myself and know that I can make plays for myself and my teammates,” James said. “Playing my game on the defensive end, especially because I believe I know how to play.”

“He’s going to play — granted, if he’s healthy — throughout this whole thing,” summer league coach Dane Johnson said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “We’re going to try to integrate him and try to get him as many reps as we can. Because he needs more experience playing. And especially the NBA game. It’s a little different than college, so getting reps in the NBA, in an NBA setting with good players will help him in the long run.”

First-rounder Dalton Knecht also showed signs of rust, De Leon notes, putting up 12 points, four assists, two rebounds and two steals, but going just 3-of-12 from the floor in 26 minutes. The Lakers lost to the Kings by 14 points.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

ESPN insiders McMenamin, Kendra Andrews and Baxter Holmes provide their takeaways from Bronny’s debut.
LeBron James was ecstatic that the Lakers drafted his son Bronny, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “For me to see my son to be able to, you know, be in the NBA alone. I mean, it’s always been a dream of his and for us to be side by side … there’s a loss of words, to be honest,” LeBron said after his first practice with Team USA ahead of the Paris Olympics.”I mean, the kid has worked so hard to get back to this point. There’s just so much that’s happened over the last year with him to have this happen less than a year from his incident to be with our friends and our family. When they announced his name, it was something that was super surreal, and it’s kind of still, our family still don’t even have enough words to explain the feeling that we had.” Both LeBron and Anthony Davis — another member of Team USA — were optimistic about the hiring of J.J. Redick as head coach, Bontemps adds.
Replacing Darvin Ham with Redick has been the Lakers’ biggest offseason move to this point. Will a new coach be enough to improve a team with a roster that’s mostly the same as 2023/24? Mirjam Swanson of The Southern California News Group explores that topic.
The Lakers are hiring Greg St. Jean as an assistant coach on Redick’s staff, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). St. Jean, who was an assistant in L.A. when the Lakers won the title in 2020, has worked for Dallas and Phoenix in recent seasons, Scotto notes.

Dalton Knecht Signs Rookie Scale Contract With Lakers

July 2nd, 2024 at 2:36pm CST by Arthur Hill

First-round pick Dalton Knecht has reached a contract agreement with the Lakers, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

L.A. was delighted to see the Tennessee sharpshooter slip to No. 17 in last week’s draft and reportedly has plans for him to be an immediate contributor. Although he’s old for a prospect at 23 and there are questions about his defense, his shooting is an obvious skill that should translate into the NBA.

Knecht played two years at Northern Colorado before transferring to Tennessee last summer. He was a consensus first-team All-American and was named SEC Player of the Year in his lone season with the Volunteers, averaging 21.7 points per game with .458/.397/.772 shooting stats.

Knecht’s four-year contract is expected to be worth about $18.5MM with a first-year salary of $3.8MM as our breakdown of this year’s rookie scale salaries shows. He’s now ineligible to be traded for 30 days.