Dalton Knecht makes most of first Knicks’ chance in blowout

A 30-point shellacking paved the way for Dalton Knecht to make his Knicks debut.

With Josh Hart missing Wednesday’s game due to right ankle soreness, Knecht was called up from the Westchester Knicks and recorded 10 points and seven rebounds in 16 minutes in the 135-105 win over the Bulls.

A second-quarter putback dunk and third-quarter chase-down block drew loud reactions from the MSG crowd.

“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. “I said it for you, I hope I don’t get in trouble. He can go get it.”

Knecht had been playing in the G-League since the Knicks signed him to a two-way deal last month after the Lakers released him.

The former Tennessee star fell out of favor with Los Angeles after being selected with the No. 17 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

After tallying 9.1 points across 19.2 minutes per game during 78 games in his rookie campaign, those numbers dripped to 4.2 points spanning 10.2 minutes per contest in his sophomore season.

He did not adjust well after losing playing time following the acquisition of Luka Doncic during the 2024-25 season, and a failed trade to the Hornets only complicated matters.

Knecht ultimately averaged 7.1 points and shot 36.8 percent from deep with the Lakers.

“The team changed. The needs changed, the fit changed,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said before the team moved on. “I think he got better as a player over the last two years. I think each guy has, particularly last year, each guy got plenty of opportunities with the amount of injuries we had.So, I just think coming into this year, we added a lot of wings, and he’s in a tough spot right now.” 

In his Knicks’ debut Wednesday, Knecht hit four of his six shots and connected on two of four attempts from 3-point range.