What happened? He even broke the Lakers three-point record and averaged 9.1 points per game, but he couldn t even understand Xia Lian!

Although it has entered the offseason now, in order to train new players and also to give some opportunities to undraft, the NBA also holds the summer league in the offseason every year, and the 2025 summer league has also started recently. Dalton Kneckett, who was discovered by the Lakers last season and once broke the team's three rookie records in a row, also participated in the Summer League. Logically speaking, Knector, who averaged 9.1 points per game last season and had a three-point shooting percentage of 37.6%, should be playing in such a low-level league. But the result was that in two games, he only made 5 of 20 shots and scored only 14 points, which was surprising. So what happened to this Lakers' best newcomer in recent years that has led to his performance so sluggishly now?

1. The offensive efficiency is reduced and it is strictly targeted by the opponent.

Indeed, at the beginning of last season, Kneckett did make an amazing performance, especially in the game against the Jazz, he made 9 of 12 three-pointers, scoring 37 points and 5 rebounds alone, tying the record of the highest three-point shooting in a single game against the Grizzlies, and in the game, he made 19 points in all three-pointers and scored 45%, shocking the entire NBA. Kneckett during that period was definitely the highlight of his career, but the problem is that behind this short glory was actually the negligence of other teams. After all, no one expected that the Lakers would dare to appoint an older white rookie, and they gave so much time. Therefore, other teams have gradually begun to explore the Lakers' tactical system, and focus on the deployment of Kneckett. The result was that in the middle and late stages of the season, Kneckett's shooting percentage began to return to normal and even further decrease.

In addition, not only was the "perverted" three-point shooting beginning to decline, but some of his offensive flaws were also infinitely amplified, the most obvious of which was that he was not good at holding the ball. Many teams are playing against the Lakers, as long as Kneckett comes on the court, they intend to force the Lakers to transfer the ball to Kneckett and give him space to play singles, but the result is that his scoring conversion rate is very low, and more are low-level mistakes. In addition, Kneckett has no organizational ability and can only send 0.8 assists per game, which can already explain the problem. He is the most suitable and the only way to survive in the NBA, which is to provide sufficient firepower outside the three-point line as much as possible. But in order to prove himself, Kneckett became more and more aggravated. He got the ball and played blindly singles or made unreasonable moves. This is why JJ Redick roared at Kneckett many times on the court and even DNPed at one point.

2. The defensive defects are infinitely amplified, and confidence is severely hit.

However, although Knector on the offensive end returned dull in the middle and late stages of the season, he still had a three-point shooting percentage of 37.6%, and overall he could still get a certain offensive role. But it has to be said that his defense is simply a disaster. Although he has a height of 1.98 meters and a wingspan of 2.06 meters, his slow lateral movement speed makes Kneckett's performance on the defensive end look extremely stretched. In the late season, such a scene often appears, that is, the opponent is targeting him. Often, a pick-and-roll or no ball cover can easily form misalignment. If he is not good at squeezing covers, and lacks ability to confront, once the misalignment is formed, Kneckett will be crushed by the opponent's inside line. The result is also very obvious. According to advanced data, whenever Kneckett leaves the court, the Lakers lose 5.2 points less points per 100 rounds than when he is on the court. Such poor defensive efficiency is naturally difficult to reassure the team of him.

Of course, the embarrassing situation that Kneckett is now actually due to the deal before the trade deadline last season. The Lakers packaged him and Cam Reddish in exchange for Hornets center Mark Williams. However, because the Lakers were not satisfied with Ma Wei's physical examination results, they filed a complaint with the official, and the deal ended up failing. Although the deal was not reached, for Kneckett, it severely hit his confidence. Even after returning to the Lakers, he felt uneasy because he had been used as a bargaining chip in the trading, and he was even more restrained on the court, completely losing the confidence he had at the beginning of the season. Moreover, as the free market door opens, if the Lakers want to do something, they naturally need to trade to strengthen it, so Kneckett is likely to be used as a bargaining chip again. So, although he is still playing for the Lakers, Kneckett has no expectations for the team, and he has to worry about being traded at any time, so his performance in the summer league cannot meet expectations, which is reasonable.