The Los Angeles Lakers were able to get two major pieces of the puzzle back on the court tonight against the Chicago Bulls.
LeBron James, who has missed time lately due to a groin injury, was back in action.
Rui Hachimura, who has not played since February 27, made his return to the court. He had been dealing with a knee injury.
Both players are key to the Lakers’ hopes of making a championship run. Los Angeles is finally getting healthy at just the right time with the playoffs right around the corner.
However, for one player, the return of two key players seems to have taken his playing time away from him.
Dalton Knecht, who has been playing a role recently for the Lakers, has not entered the game.
Lakers Nation took to X to share that it seems JJ Redick has decided to take Knecht out of the rotation, at least for tonight’s game.
It has been a wild season for the rookie out of Tennessee. Knecht was actually traded ahead of the NBA deadline, but the trade was rescinded due to an issue Los Angeles had with Mark Williams’ physical. Going through that was not easy for the young guard.
Throughout the course of the 2024-25 NBA season so far, Knecht has played in 66 total games and received 15 starts. He has averaged 9.7 points per game to go along with 3.0 rebounds, while shooting 46% from the floor and 36.8% from the 3-point line.
During the month of March, Knecht has taken his game to another level. He has averaged 14.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.5 assists and has shot 47.6% overall and 41.1% from 3-point range.