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'Shooters shoot': Dalton Knecht not concerned after cold Summer League start with Lakers

IMG_3593by:Grant Ramey07/08/24

GrantRamey

Dalton Knecht | Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
(Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports ) Jul 6, 2024; San Francisco, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht (4) between plays against the Sacramento Kings during the fourth quarter at Chase Center.

Dalton Knecht has no concerns after a slow start in his first two appearances in the NBA. In two Summer League games over the weekend, Knecht combined to score 24 points going 6-for-25 from the field, including 2-for-7 from the 3-point line. 

“I haven’t played since March,” Knecht said, according to CBS Sports. “Just finding my rhythm again and keep playing with these new guys and keep adjusting. … Shooters shoot. My dad always told me the next shot is going in. Shooters shoot.”

Knecht had 12 points on both Saturday and Sunday, losses to the Kings and Warriors, respectively. On Saturday in a 108-94 loss to the Kings, Knecht’s 12 points came on 3-for-12 shooting from the field, He was 1-for-4 from the 3-point line and had two rebounds, four assists and two steals in 26 minutes.

In a 92-68 loss to the Warriors on Sunday, Knecht was 3-for-13 from the field and 1-for-3 fro the 3-point line, with two rebounds, an assist and two steals in 22 minutes. 

Dane Johnson: ‘There are some (moments) where you see that (Dalton Knecht has) got it’

The Lakers are off until Wednesday, when they face the Miami Heat at the Chase Center in San Francisco in a 7 p.m. Eastern Time start on ESPN2. They’ll then play four games in Las Vegas July 12-18 before the Summer League’s four-team tournament and consolation games are held July 20-22.

Lakers Summer League coach Dane Johnson stressed patience with Knecht. 

“It’s a long summer league,” Johnson said. “It’s going to come. He’s a great player, so I’m not worried about him missing some of the shots he’s taking. He’s a great shooter. Let the game come to him. There are some (moments) where you see that he’s got it.”

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Knecht faced Santiago Vescovi on Sunday, with his former Tennessee Basketball teammate on the Warriors’ Summer League roster. 

Santiago Vescovi getting Summer League shot with Warriors

Vescovi had six points in the win over the Lakers, going 3-for-4 from the field with three rebounds and an assist in 15 minutes off the bench. He was scoreless in 19 minutes Saturday in a win over the Heat, grabbing three rebounds and adding a steal.

The Warriors, before putting Vescovi on the team’s Summer League roster, hosted him for a workout in the lead-up to the NBA Draft in June. 

“What I’m trying to do at this point is just pretty much show who I am,” Vescovi said lsat week. “I think like a lot of teams have a lot of film on me and everything. They know everything about everybody pretty much. But just being able to show again who I really am, just be a good teammate, have fun with the guys that we’re going to play with.” 

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