Andy Kamenetzky here, the host of the daily Locked On Lakers podcast, with your daily Locked On Lakers newsletter. Each day we bring you the biggest stories about the Lakers and the NBA, including the hottest links to other stories you need to read. Plus, Josh Lloyd delivers daily fantasy notes to crush your league.
The Lakers are riding a five-game winning streak, with a very good chance to make it six tonight at home against the 3-10 Utah Jazz.
So while the hot start—the Lakers wake up Tuesday morning as the 3rd seed in the West—has fans rightly excited, it’s not all they’re talking about. First-rounder Dalton Knecht has, after a shaky start, grown red hot as a shooter. This, of course, is what he was drafted to do, but adjusting to the NBA, even for the most talented rookies, is a challenge. For most players, it takes a little time. And it’s too early to say that a weekend’s worth of good games from Knecht, inserted into the starting lineup thanks to an injury to Rui Hachimura, has fully adjusted and “arrived,” so to speak. But with Knecht shooting over 50% from three in his last four games, and his overall percentages improving, it’s not too early to recognize the impact he’s capable of having on the team.
Would the Lakers be better off getting him into the starting lineup?
Generally speaking, an argument can be made that the purpose of an NBA rotation is to get the best players on the floor as much as possible. Obviously, context plays a role, here. Teams might not have the roster balance to find “starters minutes” for every player if the talent is clustered around one position. “Best” might not mean the totality of a player’s skill set, but one really, really big piece of it - say high volume 3-point shooting. Like Knecht. Or maybe it’s a situation where strengths and weaknesses don’t align properly, so one person needs to be split from the “best players” group.
That’s what’s happened with D’Angelo Russell, who was sent to the bench in part because the Lakers were suffering too much defensively when he and Austin Reaves shared the court. Monday at practice, JJ Redick pushed back against the idea Russell is playing a different role on the team. His role is more being reallocated. Whether you buy that logic or not - I suspect Russell doesn’t at least not fully - it’s worked. The Lakers haven’t lost since making the move, and Redick praised Russell’s adjustment both to Redick’s offense and the rotation change at length on Monday.
However you want to define these things, roles could be changing in significant ways vs. what was expected going into camp.
Overheard (In This Episode)...
1. “I think you guys are looking at the role of a starter and a bench player as, like, what a role is. That’s not a role on a team. That’s literally what somebody announces before the game. That’s not a role.”
2. “He provides something that the Lakers just don’t ever have, which is the guy who you want, if he’s playing 32, 33, 34 minutes a game, shooting nine or 10 3-pointers a game.”
3. “I think we have established over the last week that this is not the show you go to for math. If you want to see math done well, this ain’t it.”
The Sixers are no longer just bad, they’re cornered
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) looks on against the Miami Heat during the third quarter at Kaseya Center|Photo by Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Look, I held off as long as I could, told myself it was only an awkward start. I looked to silver linings, to the tendency that things going wrong for this long tend to right themselves. I looked to the surrounding conditions for clues and when none revealed themselves, I decided to stay positive but now, it’s time: time to talk about the Philadelphia 76ers.
Beyond what Sixers fans know intimately and don’t need reiterated (things are bad), the mood around the franchise is starting to feel closer to cornered than merely frustrated. Last night, after a third quarter collapse against the Heat in Miami, the Sixers held a postgame meeting that lasted over an hour. The game already had a bizarre feel to it, Philly led by 19 before being down 20, and Joel Embiid went from being listed as doubtful to starting. No one on the Sixers roster looked especially comfortable, a trend that’s emerged throughout the team’s first full month of regular season play.
Slipping now to the bottom of the Eastern Conference, with a record of 2-11 I still feel the need to double check as I write this, one thing has become abundantly clear — the Sixers don’t have room to hedge.
There’s no scapegoat to pin the team’s shoddy performance on, not this early in the season. Even when healthy, and Embiid, George and Maxey are on the floor together, it’s been for naught. Both the teams wins came in arduous overtime, one without George and both without Embiid. The Sixers win against the Hornets was missing Maxey completely.
Here’s a problem I’ve wondered about since Daryl Morey landed George in what was declared an undisputed win for the franchise and the best move of the offseason — what about Philadelphia’s role players? To clear the books for cap space enough to sign George, Daryl Morey liquidated the team’s working roster — 13 of the team’s 15 man squad became free agents. Tobias Harrias and Nicolas Batum may not be spring chickens in NBA terms, but they provided the mechanical support the Sixers are now woefully lacking. This isn’t the Sixers only problem, that much has been made clear, but it’s a big one.
Katie Heindl is a credentialed NBA and WNBA writer, her bylines have appeared with The New York Times Magazine, SLAM, The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Dime, Rolling Stone, among others. She writes the bestselling Substack, Basketball Feelings and is working on a book of the same name.
Biz Former NBA stars Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady are looking to buy a minority stake in the NFL’s Buffalo Bills (CityTV)
Must Read Knicks forward OG Anunoby says he’s tired of being known for his defensive prowess. (The Athletic, subscription required)
Honor The Lakers are set to honor Pat Riley with a statue outside Crypto.com Arena, celebrating his Showtime era with Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. (Silver Screen and Roll)
Preview The Jazz will take on the Lakers at the Staples Center in Los Angeles at 10:30 PM ET. Read the preview.(NBA)
3peat (ICYMI)
Don’t let these episodes pass you by — stay locked in with the latest Locked On Lakers podcasts.
Jarred Vanderbilt Remains Out Indefinitely. Should the Lakers Expect Him to Return This Season? The Lakers have had long stretches this year where news on Jarred Vanderbilt has essentially been non-existent. And for the most part, it has been a matter of no news not equaling good news. There’s no update because he’s not making progress. Well, sometimes getting news isn’t good, either.
Dalton Knecht Scores 37, Lakers Beat Utah for 6th Straight Win In a town that has seen its share of “manias” around young, exciting players (Fernandomania, Nomomania, and so on) it’s fair to think we’re probably one more big game from full blown Knectomania in Los Angeles. Dalton Knecht, who entered Tuesday’s game against Utah at the Crypt riding a big hot streak, got even hotter. He finished with 37, on a cartoonish 9-11 from 3-point range.
Should Dalton Knecht Stay in the Starting Lineup? The Lakers are riding a five-game winning streak, with a very good chance to make it six tonight at home against the 3-10 Utah Jazz. So while the hot start—the Lakers wake up Tuesday morning as the 3rd seed in the West—has fans rightly excited, it’s not all they’re talking about. First-rounder Dalton Knecht has, after a shaky start, grown red hot as a shooter.
