Dalton Knecht Stats Tonight: Lakers rookie's slump continues in underwhelming effort vs Trail Blazers (Jan. 2)

LA Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht saw a slight bump in his minutes in Thursday's contest against the Portland Trail Blazers, with Anthony Davis and Gabe Vincent out. However, Knecht failed to make it count again. The rookie's slump continued after a forgettable game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he missed five shots from the arc, putting up four points in 22 minutes.

On Thursday, Knecht managed six points, shooting 2 of 6, including 0 for 3 from deep. He was 2 of 2 from the free-throw line. Knecht had a rebound, one turnover and four personal fouls. He was a +/- -3 in a 114-106 win for the Lakers.

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Dalton Knecht vs Trail Blazers recap

The first-round pick played 12 minutes in the first half. However, Knecht had an underwhelming run. The Tennessee prospect managed only four points on 1 of 3 shots. He missed his only attempt from 3 but made both his free-throw attempts. Knecht had a better display defensively, though.

He even picked up three fouls, but knowing he had limited minutes compared to others, his aggression on that end was required, especially with LA struggling to keep up with Portland for majority of the first two quarters.

The Lakers flipped a switch closer to the end of the second quarter behind LeBron James and Max Christie's efficient scoring bursts. LA led 60-51 heading into the break. Dalton Knecht only played five minutes in the second half, adding two more points to his total on 1 of 3 shots. His slump from beyond the arc continued with three misses.

Knecht added a rebound and had one turnover in the second half. The first-round pick has had an uneven run dating back to December. It may impact his stock among the coaching staff once the Lakers are healthy, with Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood likely returning over the next few weeks.

The Lakers also have more wing depth with new addition Dorian Finney-Smith, potentially limiting Dalton Knecht's playing time moving forward.