The Philadelphia 76ers have only commenced what is basically an audition for their roster this preseason, but the front office can afford to take an advanced look at players they can target for their final roster spot, which they can fill up around the middle of the season. On that note, one name they can zoom in on is current Lakers wing Dalton Knecht, who is looking like the odd man out on his team.
As New York Post’s Khobi Price recently bared, multiple rival executives are expecting Knecht to be the one whom the Lakers would cut eventually. Right now, they have 16 players on standard NBA deals, meaning that the front office will have to part ways with one individual in order to trim their roster to the maximum of 15 players (not counting two-way guys). If Knecht does end up getting ousted, the 76ers should strongly consider keeping a close eye on him as a possible midseason addition.
The 76ers could consider Lakers’ Dalton Knecht as a midseason signing
After an encouraging rookie campaign, Knecht ended up stagnating with the Lakers as his role simply got shafted too much for him to make a visible impact on the team. As such, it is not surprising that there is now a rumor pointing to him as being the most likely casualty of the roster crunch in LA.
That being said, there is a lot to like about Knecht as a low-risk, high-reward project piece for the 76ers. He is just 25 years old and offers a skill that the 76ers currently value highly, which is three-point shooting.
Knecht shot nearly 38 percent from downtown in his freshman campaign on good volume. That figure dipped to just 34.2 percent this past season, but that is probably to be expected given the short leash he was on as he ended up seeing the floor for just 10.2 minutes on average. After all, it is hard for a shooter like him to get into a rhythm with such minimal playing time.
The 76ers obviously need more perimeter shooting around their stars. This past season, the team was a bottom-third team in all three-point shooting metrics, so signing a young sharpshooter like Knecht would not be the worst idea out there.
If the stars align and the 76ers retain their current opening, the front office should seek out Dalton Knecht. While his name does not have a positive ring to it right now, a change of scenery should do him well.
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