Dalton Knecht played 21 minutes off the bench in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 111-97 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. He finished the game with 19 points, five points shy of a game-high, but was inefficient at 6 of 15 from the field and 5 of 13 from distance.

This has been an issue for Knecht in preparation for the season so far. Pleasingly, he wasn’t afraid to shoot the ball. His teammates, including LeBron James, gave him the ultimate vote of confidence. But in four games, he is shooting 21 of 54 from the field (38.9%) and 10 of 37 (27.0%) from beyond the arc.

Shooting numbers will fluctuate over the course of a season, especially for a freshman. And that’s why Knecht don’t worry about the early percentage problems as long as the shot quality is strong.

“I thought all my shots looked great no matter (the outcome). I know all my teammates trust me to shoot, so I just have to find my rhythm, shoot, and that’s all.”

Knecht isn’t worried about percentages on the court because he has yet to prove he can be a versatile player at the NBA level.

“I just go out there, compete and try to do the best I can in my role. I just go out there and compete with all my teammates and try to get rebounds and hit some shots.”

It’s not just the players who have given him the green light to be aggressive, as head coach JJ Redick and his staff have told Knecht from day one that they expect that from him.

“Yes, of couse. When I spoke to them on the phone on draft night, they told me that no matter what happens, they’re super excited that they have me and they want me to be aggressive and just play like I did at Tennessee , but always have to be super aggressive Find my shot, drive the ball and try to make a layup or the right play, kick it for a three-pointer or shoot a three-pointer. Just be yourself and be confident out there.”

And, in keeping with the sentiments of several other Lakers players, the 1-3 preseason record was largely due to taking advantage of opportunities and not necessarily poor play.

“I think we just play the way JJ wants us to, we just have to hit the shots we shoot. We’re getting really good looks, so we’ll keep photographing them. We just need to find our rhythm during the preseason, that’s what the preseason is for, to find your rhythm for the regular season.”

The Lakers will need Knecht to remain aggressive in the regular season as his shooting should be a huge asset. He’s one of the few moves to this one since last year’s rotation, and LA selected him for the job of being a difference-maker in year one.

JJ Redick believes Dalton Knecht is ready

Dalton Knecht is a 3-point sniper who can move without the ball and has good size for his position. He still needs to work on some things like sticking to a pattern defensively and making some decisions with the ball in his hands, but that should all come with time.

One person who isn’t worried at all is JJ Redick. In fact, after just a few preseason games and a few practices, the Lakers’ head coach appears ready to make Knecht a full-time part of the rotation.

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