r/nba • u/PianoJealous307 • 10h ago
[Woike] The biggest issue with Dalton Knecht hasn't been shooting or defensive effort. It's been processing. The way one scout put it to me that's stuck with me: Knecht's on-court IQ isn't strong enough for him to just think the game and he's not instinctual enough to just go play freely.
In his AMA discussion on the Lakers' subreddit, Dan Woike of The Athletic revealed what has been truly wrong and the key problem for the 25-year-old behind his shortcomings.
"The biggest issue with Dalton Knecht hasn't been shooting and hasn't been defensive effort. It's been processing," the Lakers insider and reporter claimed. "The way one scout put it to me that's stuck with me - Knecht's on-court IQ isn't strong enough for him to just think the game and he's not instinctual enough to just go play freely.
"Obviously, he's been in a tough spot with the org. since the Mark Williams deal, and almost everyone agrees that if it's going to happen for him, it'll need to be somewhere else."
(you can check the AMA on the Lakers sub)
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u/Ok-Thanks-2503 10h ago
the boy is just dumb as rocks
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u/MudReasonable8185 10h ago
What a brutal report lol. “The guy tries his best but he’s just dumb as shit unfortunately”
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u/Upstairs_Baby8424 Lakers 8h ago
When he misses an assignment and he’s getting yelled out during a timeout, it looks like JJ’s explaining physics to him in Chinese. Dude just has this blank stare on his face.
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u/seanconnery69696 Suns 6h ago
Dalton better get ready to learn newton's 3rd law
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u/spellbreakerstudios 7h ago
Yea for real lol, this is one of the harsher things I’ve read about a player, even if it’s true lol
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u/vladimir_pimpin Nuggets 8h ago
Especially in a sport that is often dominated by, not exactly Mensa level intellects
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u/Gloomy-Ad-222 8h ago edited 6h ago
They are smarter than you think for the actions that are important to their profession.
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u/jcagraham Kings 7h ago
I'm always impressed by people who have incredibly physical memory. Like boxers will notice that someone kept their hand a little low when throwing a lead hook in the early rounds, so they'll wait to counter it in the later ones. Or a Street Fighter player will notice that someone always throws a dragon punch on wakeup of you run at them so they'll bait the reaction. And a basketball defender will know that the between the legs dribble is always before the step back.
It's not being a traditional genius but there's something amazing about the processing speed and thinking up the counters.
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u/SpadeAce357 6h ago
Floyd mayweather the person and Floyd mayweather the boxer; it’s like two totally different human beings
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u/saints21 7h ago
Pattern recognition shows up in all kinds of ways and is a big cheat code for how we do all kinds of things. It can both let people excel at the things you mentioned and also be easily exploited or caught out.
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u/Remarkable_Breath545 United States 8h ago
It would be a Nuggets fan that makes this comment, 🤣.
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u/Instantcoffees Warriors 7h ago
Someone who isn't able to read the game at a top level, isn't necessarily stupid. I know you guys are probably just joking around, but just making sure.
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u/pmurt007 Lakers 10h ago
It's fucked up to say but that's really what it is. Dude can shoot the ball but leading up to the deadline in 2024 he was playing poorly and getting chewed out constantly for not knowing the plays, ATOs, defensive coverage. The trade/rescinded trade just hurt his confidence even more and now when he plays it looks like he's just going through the motions and trying to not make a mistake instead of playing freely
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u/1mYourHuckleberry93 Raptors 9h ago
How the fuck are you forgetting plays as a professional. Absolutely zero excuses for that. He clearly didn’t put the work in if he’s forgetting plays…
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u/JMEEKER86 Japan 9h ago
Some people can't remember shit even if they do put in the work.
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u/chakrablocker Thunder 4h ago
Thats not even what the headline is saying. It's about how quickly he can make these decisions.
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u/2levenge Timberwolves 8h ago
I wonder if he's one of those teammates that Lebron says didn't know how to flip a play in their heads
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u/yitdeedee 9h ago
JJ is extra hard on him for some reason.
Bronny literally sucks ass. I'm not sure I've ever heard anyone in the Laker Org say a negative thing about him.
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u/BritzBeef 8h ago
You literally just read the reason. As bad as many other players are, Dalton is the only one consistently messing up the simple stuff and not knowing the basics that every player in the org should have as muscle memory by now.
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u/bruticuslee Lakers 6h ago
Bronny has the understanding, he’s just too short to execute and lacks enough shot making, ball handling, and aggressiveness/confidence to do much about it.
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u/DDukedesu 9h ago
Bronny tries on D and shows a much higher feel for the game than Knecht.
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u/Bitchdidiasku 9h ago
What games are you watching? Bronny isn’t any better.
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u/xBootstrap NBA 8h ago
Difference is Bronny was put in the game to play defence and he did fine. Knecht was inserted to shoot 3’s and he doesn’t make them. Plus he looks lost on both ends.
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u/cleo22270 Heat 10h ago
Lakers drafted the Simple Jack of shooting guards.
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u/DubbleDiller 10h ago
It was known. Isn’t this the kid that got like a 9 on the Worcestershire test?
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u/adgobad 76ers 9h ago
What's that? Googles just giving me sauce and the driving test
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u/actually-potato Pistons 9h ago
The test is just asking NBA players to pronounce Worcestershire
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u/pedot Lakers 3h ago
Idk if its more insulting to say it, but I don't think it's that he doesn't get it in a vacuum, rather he's just not processing it fast enough on the court. I think if you give the game & decisions to him as a written exam with a loose time limit he'd probably do OK, but so far he hasn't been able to do that when it's decision making in the tenth of a second. And unlike other hustle players who make it to the fringe of a roster who goes 120% all the time, he doesn't know when he should just bust his ass and sprint like his career depends on it (quite literally). Coincidentally, I think his shot is gone because he's second guessing if he's in the right spot, taking the right shots. His 4th quarter, >10pt diff. stats (garbage time stats) are perfectly fine, but his regular minutes stats dropped off a cliff in 25-26 (he was doing ok immediately after trade).
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u/Prophez Lakers 10h ago
If i recall correctly, JJ questioned someone's IQ in some post game interview, without naming them...something along the lines of not knowing a specific play. I alaays assumed it was aimed at Dalton.
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u/Anarchyz11 Lakers 8h ago
Not surprising. You could tell last season he would be out of position in plays, with Smart or Lebron pointing to a spot for him.
The lack of improvement and the lack of attention really looks like poor effort from the outside looking in.
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u/nmad95 Raptors 10h ago
Was there ever an indicator of that being an issue with him in college?
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u/OpportunityNext9675 Minneapolis Lakers 10h ago
Talent covers for a lot haha. Only play he needed in college was give me the rock and gtfo out of my way
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u/cjsrhkcjs Lakers 9h ago
yep, unfortunately for DK talent alone can only take you so far (unless you have enough talent to overcome that I guess lol).
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u/nowhathappenedwas NBA 7h ago
After the draft, Jonathan Givony was on the Lowe Post discussing why Knecht slid out of the top 10.
I can't believe the Heat passed on him at 15. Once he got past 10, I just started texting people like crazy, every GM I know... people were like 'he's old'. Well he's 23, it's not like he's 30. Physical was okay, no medical red flags, they said its clean. workouts were good, interviews were good. There was some Wonderlic type bullshit people were talking about but it's not even worth addressing
Might have been worth addressing...
But, more realistically, all the stat models hated Knecht as a draft prospect. He was never a real prospect until he was a 5th year senior, he didn't fill out the box score other than scoring, and his efficiency wasn't great for a pure scorer.
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u/coacoanutbenjamn Celtics 10h ago
But he clearly looks like a high IQ player!
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u/Kdog122025 Warriors 10h ago
He looks like he’s the first one in the gym.
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u/grrgrrtigergrr [CHI] E'Twaun Moore 10h ago
Because he forgot to leave the night before and got locked in.
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u/douchey_mcbaggins Spurs 9h ago
First one in, last one out, because he can't figure out how to open the doors.
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u/JMEEKER86 Japan 9h ago
A real lunch pail kinda guy because he hasn't figured out that money can be exchanged for goods and services yet.
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u/burns_before_reading Knicks 8h ago
A white guy with low BBIQ making it to the NBA is extremely impressive lol
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u/Far_Violinist6222 Lakers 10h ago
I mean everyone has heard him speak before, right?
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u/Rich-Professional753 9h ago
I hadn’t until I read your comment so I went to YouTube to find some clips of him talking. Yeah this report makes complete sense now lmao
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u/WayofHatuey Nets 8h ago
Send da video
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u/BigLeagueChew4u 7h ago
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u/LameAfro Timberwolves 10h ago
I was really rooting for him during the Summer League. Hes a Bucket on 2k25 lol
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u/preddevils6 Grizzlies 10h ago
Really highlights how different the college and NBA games are. Dude was one of the top 2 college players his last season, and now he may not end up on a roster, and he’s being replaced by a dude that had a bench role in the same college scheme.
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u/MatCauthonsHat 76ers 9h ago
Johnni Broome was player of the year (Sporting News) and consensus All American.
He's completely unplayable in the NBA
Very different games
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u/SackOfPotatoes949 9h ago
There were a lot of questions about whether his game would translate, mostly around the speed of the game, and whether he had 'peaked' already given his trajectory and age. No rumors of him having 'processing issues' though.
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u/weirdsignal45 Spurs 8h ago
Because he didn’t have to process shit in college aside from “get open”
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u/SackOfPotatoes949 1h ago
Nope. He was out there freewheeling on every play as a junior at Northern Colorado and senior at Tennessee. Get open, get the ball, drive or shoot.
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u/Student_Ok NBA 10h ago
Didn't that boy spend 5 years in college?
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u/TimeDielation 9h ago
I mean it was Tennessee…
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u/dizzymidget44 Pistons 8h ago
Only played 1 year. He was at northern Colorado for 2 years and Juco before that. Maybe he just maximized his talent. Juco player to the NBA in 3 years is a huge leap.
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u/The_NGUYENNER [DEN] Jamal Murray 10h ago
He knew he wasn't gonna stick in the league and that was his only chance for a school to graduate him 😭
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u/LightSpecialist804 Knicks 9h ago
No one's ever said it but I believe this is why Yabusele is out of the league too
There was this one game late in the 4th quarter where Yabu was in the game for some reason, but he didn't know the play and Brunson had to yell at him to go to the proper spot (it was a high pick and roll). The Knicks still scored but they lost like 8 seconds off the shotclock while Yabu was running around
After the play Brunson turned to Mike Brown and yelled "what the fuck are we doing?" Yabusele was benched immediately after that. First and only time in my life I've seen Brunson get a teammate benched
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u/Ok_Mango9561 5h ago
Yabusele waived his player option and turned down an offer from the Timberwolves to go back to Europe, he just didn't want to be here
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u/LightSpecialist804 Knicks 4h ago
I based my entire opinion off that single memory so you may be right
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u/bucaqe Lakers 6h ago
Doesn't he play in Euroleague? I thought he'd be better at that aspect since Euroleague seems more Xs and Os than NBA
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u/El_E_Jandr0 Lakers 6h ago
He was also going toe to toe with nba centers in the Olympics which is how he got signed
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u/Southern_Clerk8697 2h ago
That's what they want you to believe the way they be talking up the Euroleague
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u/eggs-salad Celtics 10h ago
THIS GOES AGAINST THE AGENDA
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u/zannet_t 10h ago
What agenda? No one even pretends he isn't ass and at best worth a SRP atp
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u/WayAdministrative679 Minneapolis Lakers 10h ago
I’d pay millions for a SRP atp for him
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u/amusedmb715 Bucks 10h ago
rimor is you guys are about to give us two second round picks to take him and give u jericho sims back
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u/WayAdministrative679 Minneapolis Lakers 10h ago
2 SRPs is an overpay for Sims I’d be on the fence about 1
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u/JollyGraduate95 Lakers 10h ago
Aint nobody giving 2 SRPs for Sims. Maximum 1, and even that is not exactly great
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u/DrAbeSacrabin 10h ago edited 4h ago
That white players are “high IQ”.
Tyler Herro has proven this wrong time and time again.
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u/Lobster15s Heat 9h ago
Honestly didn't hear that one before. When you hear high IQ players Lebron, CP3, Rondo, Draymond and Jimmy Butler are always in those conversations.
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u/WayAdministrative679 Minneapolis Lakers 10h ago
In other words he’s stupid. Not surprised this is the same guy who forgot the playbook of his own team
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u/theeternalcowby Lakers 9h ago
Man it must suck being Knecht right now. You know you’re not going to make the team and every other day there’s a story basically saying you’re dumb and suck at basketball.
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u/thirdeyedesign 6h ago
that game (last week?) in Vegas where he got 2 plays in the 4th, ran up the floor, into a trap, stared blankly at an empty spot and then threw the ball away was peak DK... even crashed into his own player who was suppose to run the pick for him... just totally braindead plays... got benched immediately after the second train wreck, and looked totally nonplussed on the bench, like his career hadn't just ended 😵
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u/No_Command_8477 Lakers 9h ago
"That boy couldn't play dead in a zombie movie, and it's easy to play dead in a zombie movie" - Shannon Sharpe
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u/Coldsnowyandmisty 6h ago
I'm surprised this reporter said it so bluntly.
It's known that a lot of players don't make the league because they either have tragic bbiq or just straight up are dumb as rocks.
We get A LOT of those every single draft.
Woike been waiting a long time for a dumb player that he feels comfortable saying this out loud about. 😭😂
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u/Pugnati 10h ago
Just cut him. You don't need to destroy his reputation on the way out just to justify keeping Bronny over him.
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u/relax336 Lakers 10h ago
What does Dalton being ass have to do with Bronny?
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u/deemerritt Hornets 9h ago
Roster spots?
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u/relax336 Lakers 9h ago
This doesn’t explain what Dalton being ass has to do with Bronny.
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u/Ok_Turn6757 Lakers 9h ago
16 roster spots, need to cut 1 and it’s between him, Bronny and Hardy
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u/relax336 Lakers 8h ago
I understand this.
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u/AsleepHour7763 Trail Blazers 8h ago
The biggest issue with u/relax336 has been his in thread iq isnt strong enough for him to just write the comments
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u/relax336 Lakers 8h ago
Read this again.
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u/Accomplished-Cup8182 Minneapolis Lakers 9h ago
This subs Bronny obsession aside, Knecht is ass all on his own
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u/Frailend98 Knicks 10h ago
If this guy was drafted anywhere else we wouldn't see a single post about him. How else can an unremarkable late first rounder get this much coverage.
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u/weirdsignal45 Spurs 8h ago
Not true. He was pretty hyped for his draft class.
Not that it was warranted, I always thought he was fool’s gold
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u/thy_armageddon Knicks 10h ago
You ever see somebody do a big walk around calling another person the r-word? This feels like the sports equivalent of that.
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u/SnooPies6274 Magic 10h ago
My literal thoughts. Atp just say he’s too dumb to process basketball stuff
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u/TimeDielation 9h ago
Funny, this was the same pre draft knock on Cameron Carr.. will see if he follows a similar trajectory
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u/Paralta [MIA] Jason Williams 10h ago
Kinda problem you need playing time to fix but won't get because the issue exists. G league perhaps*
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u/bigkinggorilla 9h ago
That may not help. Some people just don’t have the mind for the game. Like, they may understand “when we run play A, the 2 gets free or he doesn’t.” But they can’t understand that how the 2 is covered informs who or what action should be open as a result.
They just see it and go “the play didn’t work” and proceed to try a new set play or just iso it.
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u/AzureDragon013 Lakers 1h ago
Agree with everything you said. Id just make one small change and say some players dont have the mind for the game at the NBA level/speed. To give a simple example, most players can recognize they have an open teammate in the corner they can pass to. The problem is in the G league, that teammate might be open for 2 seconds but only open for 1 second in the NBA. If you didnt process and pass the ball fast enough the window closes.
It's like how some players easily drop 20 in the G but struggle to score 4 in the NBA. The game is just way harder when everyone is faster, stronger, and/or smarter.
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u/subtle_penguin Lakers 10h ago
Can't believe they're slandering Knecht like this while praising Bronny for "good practices"
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u/ThrowRa-zucchinizzc 10h ago edited 10h ago
Can yall just cut Bronny. He's absolute fucking dog shit. Good kid, wealth for generations but gtfo out of the league. I don't understand the amount of patience and resources going into training bronny whereas Knecht is just getting thrown under the bus. Why not mentor him, he has legitimate talent.
It's clearly a Klutch favor or threat. Keep bronny for one more year, "we gave you LeBron", or we'll be upset and harm future free agency.
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u/wallysmith127 Lakers 10h ago
Feels like JJ can tolerate some things, but dumb players isn't one of them. It's why Ayton and Hayes are gone even though either of them would fill a critical need.
Bronny is on the chopping block for sure but he's not a dumb player at least.
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u/ThrowRa-zucchinizzc 10h ago
He's not dumb, but he's literally one of worst players in the entire league. He isn't the smartest not talented player. By not dumb I guess we're saying he gets one risky steal andt one semi-difficult assist a game.
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u/wallysmith127 Lakers 10h ago
Sure, but Dalton is the dude that fucked up a play JJ specifically called for him.
That's indefensible.
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u/InevitableAd2436 Supersonics 7h ago
He’s JuCo dumb bro.
He was just lucky he was in the NIL and portal era to get a look as a 23 year old at Tennessee.
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u/Kindly_Ad995 8h ago
Lakers hate really blinds so many people. Nobody mentioned Bronny and people are in here crying and whining about him. Knecht isn’t a fucking baby, he’s not a project player, he’s a grown ass man, for reference he’s currently the same age that Luka was when he was traded to LA… if he still can’t remember plays or figure out a feel for the court that’s on him especially as an older rookie who was supposed to be more ready coming into the league.
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u/Other_Win_236 9h ago
Seems like this Dalton kid can't Knecht the dots very well when it comes to basketball
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u/staylower777 10h ago
such a naive view of the game, shows the level of basketball understanding on the sub. most of those role players build a career off knowing where to be and how to move to actually receive the ball and shoot it or create shots for teammates. It's not as simple as standing in a corner and letting luka drive kick it to you. Not to mention the defensive side of the game.
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u/WayAdministrative679 Minneapolis Lakers 10h ago
There’s more to basketball than that, like remember where to be on the court, the teams playbook, offensive sets, etc. Dalton can’t process that and hasn’t even remembered the playbook of his own team
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u/whowasonCRACK2 Lakers 10h ago
He literally forgets play calls immediately coming out of a timeout when they are drawn up for him specifically to get a shot.
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u/rockyroad03 10h ago
Basketball at this level is insane amount of processing unfortunately. Way more than just to go stand in a corner. A million different sets with multiple options for each play, defensive IQ, spacing etc.
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u/Western-Election-997 Lakers 10h ago
Rotations, where to stand, what to do in certain situations and on defense
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u/zazenbr Raptors 10h ago
"He can't move even though he's mobile" kind of vibes