The Los Angeles Lakers face the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night without 21-time All-Star LeBron James due to a groin injury he suffered against the Boston Celtics on Saturday. After the Lakers' eight-game winning streak was snapped by a 111-101 loss to Boston in the TD Garden, LA will be short-handed as it looks to begin a new win streak.
While James' injury is set to sideline him for at least 1-2 weeks according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, the Lakers will be without three key role players as well going into Monday night's matchup in Brooklyn. Per the team, Jaxson Hayes (right knee strain), Rui Hachimura (left patellar tendinopathy), and Dorian Finney-Smith (left ankle soreness) are all out.
With several rotational players out, Lakers head coach JJ Redick has decided to include standout rookie Dalton Knecht in the starting lineup. After being involved in a rescinded trade with the Charlotte Hornets for Mark Williams, Redick is showing his trust in Knecht by granting him his first start since Dec. 8.
Knecht will start alongside Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Gabe Vincent and Alex Len.
Lakers' starters vs. Brooklyn:
Luka Doncic
Austin Reaves
Gabe Vincent
Dalton Knecht
Alex Len
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) March 10, 2025
In his 12 starts so far this season, the 17th pick in the draft out of Tennessee has averaged 14.3 points and 2.8 three-pointers made per game on 47.5% shooting (via StatMuse).
Although the majority of the scoring load will most likely be expected from Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, Knecht has the ability to provide a spark if he can regularly get open looks. This was proven back on Nov. 19, when Knecht scored 37 points including nine three-pointers made in a 124-118 win against the Utah Jazz.
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This story was originally published March 10, 2025 at 7:47 PM.