Dalton Knecht didn’t need long to show the Knicks what he can bring.
In his New York debut, the former Los Angeles Lakers wing checked in late during the team’s blowout of the Chicago Bulls and immediately flashed the skill that made him such an intriguing gamble in the first place: scoring. The Garden was already buzzing, but a player catching fire from deep is its own kind of jolt, and Knecht gave New York a taste of that right away.
He finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, one assist and a block in 16 minutes, going 4-of-6 from the field and knocking down two threes.
Mike Brown on Dalton Knecht:
"He's a scorer. He's not just a shooter.
A lot of people think he's a shooter because he's white. I said it for you, I hope I don't get in trouble.
He can go get it" 😂 pic.twitter.com/k5dIQ2arwC
- SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) November 5, 2026
That kind of burst is exactly why New York took the swing. Knecht was a top-20 draft pick with a track record of putting the ball in the basket, and the Knicks needed more youth and more shooting in a rotation that’s quietly aging into a 30-and-over group. There are still plenty of things he has to clean up, but the upside is obvious.
Knecht’s rookie season already hinted at what he can do. He averaged 9.1 points and 1.6 made threes per game while shooting .461/.376/. shooting, and those numbers jump to 17.0 points and 3.1 threes per 36 minutes. His second season was tougher, but the scoring ability has never been in doubt.
That matters for a Knicks roster with no shortage of guards and not nearly enough wings. The starters are strong, but the bench doesn’t offer much size on the perimeter, especially against bigger lineups. At 6'6" and 215 pounds with a 6'9" wingspan, Knecht gives New York a different look, as long as his effort and consistency on defense hold up.
He may end up playing only spot minutes, but there’s still real value in that. Knecht can grow inside the system while also giving the Knicks a ready-made scoring option if injuries hit or if the starting wings go cold.
It was only one game, and it came in garbage time, but it was still the kind of debut that makes the fit easy to see. Knecht looks like exactly the sort of player New York needed to take a chance on.
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Jalen Brunson set the tone with 33 points and four assists in about 28 minutes, while OG Anunoby added 18 points and kept pressure on Chicago at the line by making 11 of 12 free throws. The bigger question now is whether this was just a hot night or the start of something more sustainable, because the Knicks have spent enough time searching for consistency to know one emphatic win only matters if it leads somewhere. [Read more 🡒]