Dalton Knecht Stats Tonight: Lakers rookie continues to earn JJ Redick and star players' trust with solid effort vs Spurs (Mar. 17)

LA Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht continued to enjoy playing more minutes as LeBron James stayed on the sidelines in Monday's contest against the San Antonio Spurs.

Knecht continues to get opportunities to make his case for minutes in the playoffs. He did well over the past few games, especially on Friday, after putting up a 32-point performance against Denver in a five-point loss without Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and four rotation players.

Dalton Knecht Stats Tonight vs. Spurs (Mar. 17)

Knecht had an efficient run in the first half against the Spurs. The rookie tallied 10 points, three rebounds, two assists and one block in nine minutes, shooting 4 of 5, concluding 2 of 3 from deep.

Knecht showed continued improvement defensively and on offense. He was more fluid with the Lakers running sets for him. Knecht was also given more on-ball duties, especially when Luka Doncic was off the floor.

The rookie was among the beneficiaries of the Spurs' blitzing Doncic every trip down the floor. Doncic set up Knecht for open opportunities, and the 17th pick didn't disappoint by converting the shots. Knecht had a quiet third quarter as he took one attempt and missed it.

Dalton Knecht closed the game on a rather forgettable note after missing his last six shots of the night. He had 13 points, three rebounds, and three assists on 4 of 10 shots, including 2 of 7 from 3 and 3 of 4 from the free throw line. He had a block and was a +/- -5 in a 125-109 win.

Luka Doncic shows faith in Dalton Knecht

Dalton Knecht is gaining the trust of his co-stars, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. After another solid performance, Doncic hailed Knecht, saying he's a "promising rookie" and learning to play with him at a quick pace. It's critical for the Lakers to have Knecht play at a consistent level and produce offensively.

His 10 points per game could come in handy for not just the rest of the regular season but in the playoffs, too. Despite being only in his first year, Knecht attracts a lot of attention from the defense, even when he's on the floor with the stars.