Dalton Knecht held out of Lakers NBA summer league finale vs. Bulls due to ‘team medical decision’
Dalton Knecht’s debut at the NBA Summer League has come to an end.
According to Spectrum Sportsnet’s Lakers beat reporter Mike Trudell, the former Tennessee basketball guard will be held out of the Lakers’ final game in Las Vegas on Saturday vs. the Chicago Bulls alongside Bronny James. Trudell cited the lines of load management as the reason why the Lakers are sitting Knecht on Saturday.
The SEC Player of the Year entered Saturday’s games in Las Vegas leading all rookie scorers with 21.3 points per game in the 2024 NBA Summer League.
Much like his tenure in Knoxville, Knecht has dominated in scoring this summer in both the California Classic Summer League and NBA Summer League while also showing off his playmaking abilities. In six summer league games this summer, Knecht is averaging 18.2 points.
In Los Angeles’ most recent game Friday vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers, Knecht posted his third 20 or more point performance of the summer as he finished with 20 points on 7 of 16 shooting. His best game this summer for the Lakers came on Friday, July 13 vs. the Houston Rockets when he put up 25 points on 9 of 18 shooting with six rebounds and four assists in the Lakers’ 99-88 loss.
This is not the first time that the Lakers have held out Knecht in the summer league as he did not play in the team’s 87-86 win over the Atlanta Hawks on July 17 due to a coaches’ decision.
Knecht was taken with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft by the Lakers, the highest-drafted player in the Rick Barnes Era on Rocky Top.
Dalton Knecht summer league stats
Knecht finished his first NBA summer league — including the California Classic Summer League — averaging 18.2 points and 5.2 rebounds in six games. He did not play in the Lakers’ NBA summer league game in Las Vegas on Wednesday, July 17 vs. the Atlanta Hawks due to a coaches’ decision.
Here’s a game-by-game breakdown of Knecht’s box scores in each of the six games he played for the Lakers in the 2024 NBA Summer League:
- vs. Sacramento Kings (California Classic Summer League): 12 points on 3 of 12 shooting from the field with four assists, two rebounds and two steals
- vs. Golden State Warriors (California Classic Summer League): 13 points on 3 of 13 shooting from the field with two rebounds, two steals and one assist
- vs. Miami Heat (California Classic Summer League): 20 points on 7 of 18 shooting from the field with nine rebounds and an assist
- vs. Houston Rockets (NBA Summer League): 25 points on 9 of 18 shooting from the field with six rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block
- vs. Boston Celtics (NBA Summer League): 19 points on 7 of 21 shooting from the field with three rebounds, three steals, two assists and a block
- vs. Atlanta Hawks (NBA Summer League): Did Not Play – Coaches Decision
- vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA Summer League): 20 points on 7 of 16 shooting from the field with seven rebounds, one assist and a steal
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