Ahead of Wednesday night’s bout with the San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick to put sharpshooter Dalton Knecht in the starting lineup instead of Cam Reddish next to LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves.
Knecht had previously been starting due to an injury to Hachimura, but this move likely makes him an official part of the starting five moving forward. The move felt like a full lean into the team’s already strong offensive identity, instead of trying to turn the roster into a defensive-minded one.
While it’s still a small sample size, the Lakers have been winning when Knecht is in the starting lineup and playing alongside James and Davis.