Former Tennessee Vols guard Dalton Knecht had a night that he badly needed in Lakers' win against the Clippers
It's been a challenging last few weeks for former Tennessee Vols guard Dalton Knecht. Knecht was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Charlotte Hornets just before the NBA trade deadline. He was sent back to Los Angeles a couple of days later when the trade was rescinded due to the Lakers' concerns over […]
It's been a challenging last few weeks for former Tennessee Vols guard Dalton Knecht.
Knecht was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Charlotte Hornets just before the NBA trade deadline. He was sent back to Los Angeles a couple of days later when the trade was rescinded due to the Lakers' concerns over the health of center Mark Williams (the player that was heading to LA in the deal).
Entering the Lakers' matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night, Knecht, in nine games since returning to the team's lineup, was averaging just 3.3 points per game while playing 13 minutes per game.
Due to some injuries, Knecht saw extended action against the Clippers on Sunday and he made the most of his opportunity.
The former Vol scored 19 points and secured four rebounds to go along with two steals in 25 minutes of action.
It was easily Knecht's best showing since the bizarre trade saga last month.
Knecht, who is averaging 8.9 points per game on the season, has had some big moments as a rookie. Earlier in the season, Knecht scored a career-high 37 points against the Utah Jazz.
The talent is obviously there, it's just been tough for Knecht to find opportunities to shine — especially in the weeks since the Lakers added Luka Doncic to the roster via a trade with the Dallas Mavericks.
Playing alongside Doncic and LeBron James is almost certainly a thrill for Knecht, but there's also no doubt that the former Vol wants to play as many minutes as possible.
It'll be interesting to see if the Lakers revisit trading Knecht this offseason — which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing for the former SEC player of the year. But for now, Knecht just needs to focus on making the most of the minutes he receives, which is exactly what he did on Sunday night in the win against the Clippers.
