What Dalton Knecht Had to Say About His Knicks Debut

In the New York Knicks' 135-105 win over the Chicago Bulls, the Knicks got their first glimpse of newcomer Dalton Knecht. Knecht, 25, was recently waived by the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Knicks claimed him. 

In his debut with the team, he finished with 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 assist. After the game, Knecht talked about what it was like playing alongside his new teammates and what he can add to the roster moving forward. 

"I think I just go out there and could impact the game at all three levels. 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 defense rebounds," Knecht said. 

In his time with the Lakers, he was able to put together big games, but his issue was consistency. He had a big game against the Utah Jazz early in his rookie season in 2024-2025, in which he scored 37 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. 

He has always been a player that teams will have to monitor at all times on defense, and if he can put it all together on the Knicks, he could be a very valuable piece off the bench. The Knicks have multiple players on their roster that have a similar skill set to Knecht, meaning there could be a spot for him on this roster. 

New York is a team that prioritizes spacing the floor and finding open shooters on the perimeter, and Knecht is just another player who adds to that. Not only can he shoot, but he has the ability to put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket. 

If he can become the three-level scorer that he believes he is on the Knicks, he could find some stability in his career. Luckily for him, he's on a team full of veterans who just came off a championship season. 

If this coaching staff and his teammates express their belief in Knecht, it will be interesting to see how he performs in a new, winning environment. 

The Knicks' next three games are against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Cavaliers again. If they can continue to put together convincing wins as they did against the Bulls, Dalton Knecht will see more minutes and more opportunities to see the court and earn the right to have an important role on this roster.