Dalton Knecht has found himself in a position of pure unpredictability as the 2025-26 NBA season nears. He was nearly traded for Mark Williams, received inconsistent playing time during his rookie campaign, and now has newfound competition for minutes as a key reserve.
If Rob Pelinka has accomplished anything with his recent comments, it's reminding Knecht of how fragile his role with the team will be until he improves on defense.
Knecht had a thoroughly promising first year in the NBA, showcasing the ability to shoot the lights out and score at all three levels. When Los Angeles' dreams of a 50-win season became more legitimate, however, his minutes declined—and his defense was commonly referenced as the reason for that development.
In a recent team release, Pelinka revealed why the Lakers signed Jake LaRavia—and may have indicated what Knecht needs to do to avoid another year of erratic playing time.
Rob Pelinka on the Lakers’ Jake LaRavia signing, from the team’s release: “Jake is a high IQ two-way player with ideal skills for a JJ Redick basketball system. He’s a disruptive defender who uses his size and physicality to create turnovers. Offensively, he can score at all…
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) July 7, 2025
LaRavia was a high-quality signing, but if Pelinka's comments establish anything, it's the expectations that Knecht will face in 2025-26.
Rob Pelinka's praise for Jake LaRavia reveals Dalton Knecht's expectations
Knecht finished his rookie season averaging 9.1 points per game and 17.0 points per 36 minutes. He was remarkably efficient for a first-year player, posting a slash line of .461/.376/.762 and an eFG% of .576, which was 3.3 percent higher than the league average.
Knecht also posted two 30-point games, including a monumental 37-point effort, and tallied seven with at least 20.
Despite the promising start to his career, Knecht's defensive inconsistencies have made him a poor rotational fit. With another team, he could be playing close to 30 minutes per game by now, thriving as a scorer and off-ball shooter.
Unfortunately, the Lakers' starting lineup is flush with players whose defense is less than reliable—making a younger and less productive player the odd man out.
LaRavia, meanwhile, is highly regarded as one of the more promising young 3-and-D players in the NBA. He competes on the defensive end of the floor, masking some of his positioning mistakes with effort and intensity.
The Lakers thus signed him to not only replace departing forward Dorian Finney-Smith, but to address the glaring need for reliable wing defenders.
In saying that, if Knecht steps up on the defensive end of the floor in 2025-26, then he should have no trouble finding minutes—no matter what transpires with LaRavia. The production gap between Knecht and Rui Hachimura is also so minimal on a per-36 basis that one could argue the former is a reliable defensive game away from entering the starting lineup.
Unfortunately, with Doncic in his prime and James nearing the end of his career, there's a thin line between Knecht becoming a starter and falling out of the rotation entirely.