Dalton Knecht stats tonight: How did Lakers rookie fare in LeBron James’ absence vs Trail Blazers? (Dec. 8)

Dalton Knecht and the LA Lakers found themselves in uncharted waters on Sunday, taking on the Portland Trail Blazers without LeBron James, who was sidelined for the first time this season due to a foot injury.

The Lakers also played without Austin Reaves, who missed his fifth consecutive game because of a pelvic contusion.

The Blazers took an early 28-22 lead after the first quarter, with Knecht attempting just one field goal — a missed 3-pointer — in the opening 12 minutes. Anthony Davis was the standout for the Lakers in the period, contributing 14 of their points.

In the second quarter, Knecht managed to make two field goals, bringing his total to four points. Rui Hachimura also had a strong first half, scoring 16 points to help the Lakers secure a 59-45 lead at the break.

Knecht only added one more field goal to his tally in the second half. He finished with six points and eight rebounds, shooting 3-for-9, including 0-for-3 from deep.

Below are Dalton Knecht's stats.

PLAYER	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	FGM	FGA	FG%	3PM	3PA	3P%	FTM	FTA	FT%	OREB	DREB	STL	BLK	TO	PF	=+/-
Dalton Knecht	21:55	6	8	1	3	9	33.3	0	3	0.0	0	0	0.0	1	7	1	0	2	3	0

Davis led the Lakers with 30 points and 11 rebounds, while D'Angelo Russell had 28 points and 14 assists. Hachimura added 23 to help the Lakers capture the 107-98 win, ending their three-game losing streak.

LeBron James says Dalton Knecht has room to grow through mistakes

Dalton Knecht is widely considered the Lakers’ most significant offseason addition after their revamped coaching staff led by JJ Redick.

LeBron James commended Knecht’s versatility and expressed optimism about his development, even as he navigates rookie challenges.

"Dalton fits in anything you want to do,” James said (per Fadeaway World). “So he's going to continue to make his mistakes, which is okay as a rookie, obviously, his first time experiencing these things for the first time in this league."

November was a breakout month for Knecht, who shifted from primarily coming off the bench in October to starting in seven of the Lakers’ 14 games that month.

Anthony Davis highlighted how Knecht’s presence in the starting lineup has bolstered the Lakers with his scoring and ability to stretch the floor.

“He’s a shooter. He can shoot the basketball and was able to get some open shots,” Davis said of the rookie (per Spectrum).

“So he brings a different dynamic to us whether that’s in the starting unit or the second unit. But specifically with that starting unit, he creates that spacing for us and when we swing it to him we know he’s gonna knock down the shot.”

Dalton Knecht has emerged as one of the league’s top-scoring rookies, posting averages of 11.3 points per game on 47.5% shooting, including an impressive 40.0% from 3-point range.