Once more, the Lakers made lineup changes.
The Los Angeles Lakers returned rookie guard Dalton Knecht to the starting lineup after a depressing three-game losing skid. The Lakers had just suffered consecutive losses to the Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets, and Orlando Magic. Even though the Lakers only lost by one point to the Magic, they were thoroughly outplayed by the Suns and Nuggets when Knecht was taken out of the starting lineup, and they fell apart in the second half of both games.
Due to Rui Hachimura’s injury, which kept the forward out of action for several games, Knecht initially made his way into the starting lineup. Knecht became a real scoring threat for the Lakers during that period. Before scoring 37 points in the subsequent victory against the Utah Jazz, he scored 27 points in a victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. Knecht set his own personal scoring record and tied a rookie record for the most three-pointers made in a single game.
Head coach JJ Redick stated that the team thought about starting Knecht in the lineup before the Lakers suffered back-to-back losses without him. The Lakers formally benched Cam Reddish in favour of Knecht following those consecutive defeats.
In the first game following the modification, the move paid off. The Lakers defeated the San Antonio Spurs 119-101 after Knecht returned to the starting lineup. Knecht led the Lakers with 20 points, and the team scored more points in the second half than in the first.
According to Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, Redick declared following the game, “I’m very proud of our group.” “The reaction was excellent. It’s funny since I really discussed it with them prior to the game. You simply must let go of the past. You must move on to the next thing and let go of the recent past. And they have answered, just as they have done multiple times prior.
After losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night, the Lakers are currently 4-2 when Knecht begins.