Dalton Knecht did not play Sunday night, and the Lakers still needed every bit of offense they could find. Instead, JJ Redick kept the rookie out against the Dallas Mavericks, a move that stood out on a night when Luka Doncic was out with a hamstring injury and Austin Reaves was sidelined with an oblique issue.
LeBron James put up 30 points, nine rebounds and 15 assists, but Dallas won anyway, 134-128. Cooper Flagg led the Mavericks with 45 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, while Luke Kennard logged 41 minutes and Bronny James, Kobe Bufkin and Nick Smith Jr. all saw brief run in a game that exposed how thin the Lakers were behind their top players.
The choice to leave Knecht on the bench was hard to miss because the Lakers were short on shot-making from the moment the game tipped. Knecht has spent a lot of time with the South Bay Lakers, the Lakers' G League affiliate, this season, and he had been recalled to the big club for Sunday as the team looked for another scorer. Redick instead leaned on Maxi Kleber, Jarred Vanderbilt and Jaxson Hayes in the bench rotation, even with the Lakers described as being in desperate need of offense.
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That decision reads as more than a one-night matchup choice. Redick's use of Knecht was a clear indication of how he feels about the young wing right now, and it leaves the rookie still searching for a foothold on a roster that needed help but did not turn to him when the stars were missing. The Lakers got points from their best player and still came up short; the next question is whether Knecht gets another chance to show he can be part of the answer.