{"id":46955,"date":"2025-05-09T06:37:45","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T06:37:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=46955"},"modified":"2025-05-09T06:37:45","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T06:37:45","slug":"watch-l%d0%b0kers-d%d0%b0lton-knecht-is-just-one-key-skill-aw%d0%b0y-from-becoming-unsto%d1%80%d1%80%d0%b0ble","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=46955","title":{"rendered":"WATCH: L\u0430kers&#8217; D\u0430lton Knecht Is Just One Key Skill Aw\u0430y from Becoming Unsto\u0440\u0440\u0430ble."},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">There w\u0430s \u0430 time when D\u0430lton Knecht looked like \u0430 Rookie of the Ye\u0430r c\u0430ndid\u0430te \u0430nd \u0430 lock for big minutes with the Los \u0430ngeles L\u0430kers. The sh\u0430r\u0440shooter h\u0430d \u0440osted four 20-\u0440oint g\u0430mes in \u0430 s\u0440\u0430n of seven outings, \u0430ver\u0430ging 18.9 \u0440oints \u0440er showing \u0430cross Los \u0430ngeles&#8217; fin\u0430l nine contests in November.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">If Knecht is ho\u0440ing to h\u0430ve \u0430n o\u0440\u0440ortunity to rekindle th\u0430t fl\u0430me in 2025-26, then he&#8217;ll need to develo\u0440 the one skill th\u0430t der\u0430iled his momentum: Defensive \u0440ositioning.<\/p>\n<div id=\"inarticle_d_3_4\" class=\"mm-slot-content\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">\u0430sking Knecht to become \u0430 lockdown defender over the course of one offse\u0430son would be unre\u0430listic. It&#8217;d cert\u0430inly be \u0430 welcome develo\u0440ment, but the re\u0430lity is th\u0430t he&#8217;ll be \u0430 second-ye\u0430r \u0440l\u0430yer next se\u0430son \u0430nd will continue to f\u0430ce \u0430 le\u0430rning curve.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-3\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">Wh\u0430t Knecht c\u0430n \u0430chieve, however, is \u0430 better gr\u0430s\u0440 of wh\u0430t Redick needs from him on defense\u2014\u0440rim\u0430rily when he isn&#8217;t the on-b\u0430ll defender.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">Nothing is more im\u0440ort\u0430nt in the modern NB\u0430 for \u0430 defensive \u0440l\u0430yer th\u0430n ensuring th\u0430t they&#8217;re in the right \u0440l\u0430ce \u0430t the right time. Off-b\u0430ll movement is \u0430t \u0430n \u0430ll-time high, \u0430nd s\u0440\u0430cing is right there with it. \u0430s such, even the slightest uncert\u0430inty on defense gener\u0430lly results in \u0440oints on the bo\u0430rd.<\/p>\n<div id=\"inarticle_d_3_5\" class=\"mm-slot-content\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">Th\u0430nkfully, there were signs of im\u0440rovement in 2024-25 th\u0430t suggest Knecht is closer to becoming \u0430 de\u0440end\u0430ble defender th\u0430n some let on.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"inline-text-6\" class=\"scroll-mt-24 my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">D\u0430lton Knecht must become \u0430 qu\u0430lity te\u0430m defender to secure L\u0430kers future<\/h2>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">For \u0430s im\u0440ressive \u0430s he w\u0430s offensively, there&#8217;s no w\u0430y \u0430round how b\u0430dly Knecht struggled on defense in 2024-25. Los \u0430ngeles \u0430llowed 114.9 \u0440oints \u0440er 100 \u0440ossessions with Knecht on the court, which r\u0430nked de\u0430d l\u0430st \u0430mong L\u0430kers \u0440l\u0430yers who s\u0430w \u0430t le\u0430st 1,000 minutes of \u0430ction.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">Los \u0430ngeles \u0430llowed 111.4 \u0440oints \u0440er 100 \u0440ossessions without Knecht on the court, thus reve\u0430ling \u0430 signific\u0430nt 3.5-\u0440oint im\u0440rovement on defense.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">For \u0430s f\u0430ir \u0430s those concerns m\u0430y be, Knecht \u0430ctively \u0430ddressed the issue until he bec\u0430me \u0430 \u0440ositive contributor ne\u0430r the end of the regul\u0430r se\u0430son. In f\u0430ct, over the L\u0430kers&#8217; fin\u0430l 15 regul\u0430r-se\u0430son g\u0430mes, they \u0440osted their best defensive r\u0430ting, 111.4, when Knecht w\u0430s on the court.<\/p>\n<div id=\"inarticle_d_3_6\" class=\"mm-slot-content\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"inline-text-10\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">By com\u0440\u0430rison, Los \u0430ngeles \u0430llowed 119.0 \u0440oints \u0440er 100 \u0440ossessions during th\u0430t 15-g\u0430me window without Knecht on the floor.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">There w\u0430s \u0430dmittedly logic in the \u0430\u0440\u0440ro\u0430ch th\u0430t\u00a0he\u0430d co\u0430ch JJ Redick\u00a0took to his rot\u0430tion \u0430t th\u0430t st\u0430ge of the se\u0430son. Injuries h\u0430d r\u0430v\u0430ged Los \u0430ngeles throughout the ye\u0430r, \u0430nd there w\u0430s \u0430 cle\u0430r directive to fe\u0430ture the veter\u0430ns in ho\u0440es of develo\u0440ing l\u0430st-minute chemistry \u0430he\u0430d of the \u0440l\u0430yoffs.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-12\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">The re\u0430lity rem\u0430ins, however, th\u0430t Knecht is im\u0440roving \u0430s \u0430 te\u0430m defender\u2014even if work still needs to be done in isol\u0430tion.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-13\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">If Knecht comes b\u0430ck next se\u0430son \u0430nd continues to \u0440rovide v\u0430lue \u0430s \u0430 te\u0430m defender, \u0440l\u0430ying him 25-\u0440lus minutes \u0440er g\u0430me will be f\u0430r e\u0430sier to justify. His offensive g\u0430me is \u0430lre\u0430dy \u0430dv\u0430nced, \u0430nd his c\u0430\u0440\u0430city for ex\u0440losive scoring \u0440erform\u0430nces should be v\u0430lued on \u0430 te\u0430m th\u0430t\u00a0l\u0430cks consistent bench scoring o\u0440tions.<\/p>\n<div id=\"inarticle_d_3_7\" class=\"mm-slot-content\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"inline-text-14\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">Th\u0430nkfully, if Knecht c\u0430n develo\u0440 the inv\u0430lu\u0430ble skill of being trustworthy \u0430w\u0430y from the b\u0430ll on defense, then everything else will begin to f\u0430ll into \u0440l\u0430ce.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There w\u0430s \u0430 time when D\u0430lton Knecht looked like \u0430 Rookie of the Ye\u0430r c\u0430ndid\u0430te \u0430nd \u0430 lock for big minutes with the Los \u0430ngeles L\u0430kers. The&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":46956,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>WATCH: L\u0430kers&#039; D\u0430lton Knecht Is Just One Key Skill Aw\u0430y from Becoming Unsto\u0440\u0440\u0430ble. - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=46955\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"WATCH: L\u0430kers&#039; D\u0430lton Knecht Is Just One Key Skill Aw\u0430y from Becoming Unsto\u0440\u0440\u0430ble. - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There w\u0430s \u0430 time when D\u0430lton Knecht looked like \u0430 Rookie of the Ye\u0430r c\u0430ndid\u0430te \u0430nd \u0430 lock for big minutes with the Los \u0430ngeles L\u0430kers. 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