The Los Angeles Lakers moved Day 2 mountains to trade up and select Adou Thiero at No. 36 overall at the 2025 NBA Draft. It was a clear declaration of the franchise's intent to feature Thiero in a prominent role in the rotation, whether in the short term or in a long-term capacity.
For as captivating as Thiero is as an individual, it would behoove Los Angeles to thorougly explore what could be their perimeter pairing of the future: Thiero and Dalton Knecht.
Knecht and Thiero couldn't be any more different as prospects and players. While [Thiero is a defensive-minded forward](https://lakeshowlife.com/lakers-fans-love-adou-thiero-patterns-game-after) whose athleticism and intensity are his greatest gifts, [Knecht is a lights-out shooter](https://lakeshowlife.com/dalton-knecht-epitomizes-flawed-philosophy-cost-lakers-season) who erupted for as many as 37 points in a single game as a rookie.
Despite their differences, Knecht and Thiero have the respective skill sets to act as perfect complements to one another.
The areas in which Knecht excels are those that aren't strengths for Thiero at this stage—and the same can be said in reverse. If the two former SEC stars can develop chemistry on the court, they could not only excel as a duo, but anchor the second unit.
The key, of course, will be refraining from trading Knecht and thus giving he and Thiero a sincere opportunity to realize their respective and collective potential.
Dalton Knecht and Adou Thiero could be Lakers' next dynamic duo
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Knecht showed flashes of brilliance during the 2024-25 regular season. He averaged 9.2 points and 1.6 three-point field goals made in just 19.2 minutes per game, which translates to 17.0 points and 3.1 three-point field goals made per 36 minutes.
Knecht almost identically matched those averages during his 16 starts, when he posted marks of 16.7 points and 3.1 three-point field goals made per game.
Unfortunately, Knecht received more than 20 minutes of playing time in just 36 of his 78 appearances as a rookie. That's inevitably created speculation that he could be traded—although the driving force behind that theory was the fact that Los Angeles attempted to move him in the failed deal for Mark Williams.
Rather than giving up on Knecht by including him in a second trade in less than six months, the Lakers must explore what he can achieve alongside Thiero.
With Knecht and Thiero, the Lakers could strike the perfect balance—and thus empower the up-and-comers to elevate one another's game. Knecht is a high-level floor-spacer and a skilled shot creator who could potentially help Thiero refine his own offensive game.
Thiero, meanwhile, doesn't seem to have an off switch on defense—and could thus rub off on Knecht, helping him to address concerns over his defensive inconsistency.
Beyond what they could do for each other, that balance from the second unit could be the key to unlocking Los Angeles' potential. Teams aren't contending unless they can trust their reserves, and that typically requires consistency on both ends of the floor.
If given the chance, Knecht and Thiero could become the very players the Lakers need to create a viable and championship-caliber second unit.