Dalton Knecht made his debut for the New York Knicks on Wednesday after signing a two-way contract with the franchise last month.
In a blowout victory over the Chicago Bulls, Knecht scored 10 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and had a block in 16 minutes, leaving Knicks head coach Mike Brown impressed.
Brown was so impressed after the game, in fact, that he made a risky analysis of Knecht’s skills, contrasting the former Los Angeles Lakers first-round pick to other white players you may have seen in the NBA.
“He’s a scorer. He’s not just a shooter. A lot of people think he’s a shooter because he’s white,” Brown joked during his postgame news conference, referencing a stereotype that is sometimes applied to white players.
“I said it for you, I hope I don’t get in trouble,” Brown continued. “He can go get it.”
With Knicks starter Josh Hart missing Wednesday’s game due to ankle soreness, the Knicks called Knecht up from their G League team, the Westchester Knicks, to the active roster. Given the lopsided margin of the score, Knecht got an opportunity to play extended minutes off the bench.
“I wasn’t surprised, I just came in ready to go,” Knecht said about his playing time, per SNY. “The coaches said you’re active so that just means be ready.”
“I think I just go out there and impact the game on all three levels,” Knecht added. “And I just wanna show on the other side of the ball, getting the ball pressure and stuff like that and going in and grabbing defensive rebounds.”
Knecht, the No. 17 overall pick in the 2024 draft, was waived by the Lakers on Oct. 19 before the regular season started. Los Angeles had attempted to trade Knecht in February 2025 following a separate blockbuster trade for All-Star Luka Dončić, but the deal to send Knecht to the Charlotte Hornets fell through after center Mark Williams failed a physical.
Knecht remained with the Lakers through the end of their second-round playoff run last season, but he only played sparingly during garbage time of games. Before cutting him last month, the Lakers again tried to shop their former first-round pick in potential trades with other teams.
Now with the Knicks, Knecht is attempting to resurrect the potential that he showed in flashes of his rookie season with the Lakers. Although his minutes are not guaranteed with the reigning champions, Knecht is hoping to get further opportunities to prove himself.
“Be ready so you don’t have to get ready,” Knecht said about his mindset after his debut. “Just watching on the bench and talking to my teammates is really helpful and it was easy to get in there and play confident. All the guys out there gave me a good look.”
