Metta Sandiford-Artest predicts that Dalton Knecht — who averaged 10.2 minutes in 54 regular-season games — will play a vital role for the Los Angeles Lakers in the first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets.
“Dalton Knecht gonna average 20+ in these playoffs. He is the truth,” the 2010 NBA champion wrote on X.
There was no indication from Metta that he was being satirical, even though much of his social media activity tends to be hyperbolic. It was likely a reaction to Knecht dropping 17 points in just 12 minutes in the season finale against the Utah Jazz.
Will Lakers Play Dalton Knecht?
If anything, there’s a good chance Knecht won’t see the floor during the initial few games of the playoffs. For one, he logged a total of 62 minutes after the All-Star break, most of which came in garbage time. Furthermore, Lakers head coach JJ Redick has proven in the past that he prefers shorter playoff rotations. Last year, he deployed a seven-man rotation in the series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, with the eighth player, Jaxon Hayes, averaging just 7.5 minutes.
That said, the injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves could prompt Redick to give Knecht a look, even if only in brief spurts.
Knecht entered the 2025-26 season expecting to be part of Redick’s rotation after a solid rookie season in which he drained 1.6 threes at a 38% clip. That’s precisely why he logged 19.2 minutes in October and 15.5 minutes in November. Those numbers dipped sharply to 7.8 in December, prompting a brief G League stint. While Redick tried to integrate Knecht back into the mix several times, the Tennessee alum’s defensive issues didn’t help his case to remain in the Lakers rotation.
Lakers vs. Rockets Series
Could Knecht have his breakout moment in the playoffs?
The Lakers may need solid contributions from the likes of Knecht, Nick Smith Jr. and Bronny James to try and stay competitive against a fully-loaded Rockets team. Redick is expected to start Luke Kennard, Marcus Smart, LeBron James, Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton, with Jake LaRavia likely the first man off the bench.
Many analysts project the Rockets to make quick work of the Lakers.
“Rockets in 5,” NBA.com’s John Schuhmann wrote, previewing the series.
“With the status of Doncic and [Austin] Reaves in doubt, it becomes a much easier pick. Houston has multiple defenders to keep James somewhat in check, but the Lakers could struggle to stop both Durant and [Alperen] Sengun.”
The Lakers enter the series against the Rockets as +550 underdogs. Game 1 tips off Saturday at 5:30 p.m. local time at Crypto.com Arena.
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