Dalton Knecht didn’t waste time making his case in a Knicks uniform.
In his first game for New York on Wednesday, Knecht put up 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting, knocked down two 3-pointers and pulled in seven rebounds in 16 minutes against Chicago. The Knicks rolled 135-105, so the lopsided score has to be part of the evaluation, but Mike Brown still got enough from the box score to keep digging.
The Knicks brought Knecht in on a two-way contract in October after the Lakers waived him, giving them a low-cost chance to see what his offense can do. That kind of deal comes with roster and availability limitations, which makes turning him into a regular NBA rotation piece more complicated than it would be on a standard contract.
Wednesday’s setup helped him, too. Josh Hart was out with right ankle soreness, and the blowout opened up extra minutes. Knecht’s shooting gives New York another way to space the floor around Jalen Brunson or any other ball-handler, and the seven rebounds were a nice bonus for a team that usually leans on Hart for that kind of work.
The defensive side is still the real test. Brown can use Knecht in short bursts against second units and see whether he can survive when opponents start hunting him. That’s a different challenge than looking good in a 30-point win.
For now, the Knicks can always slide back into their usual wing mix once Hart is healthy. That’s the safe path, especially with other proven shooters on hand.
But there’s also room to keep a small window open for Knecht when the matchup calls for more shooting. New York doesn’t need to hand him a closing role to find out whether his offense can matter later on.
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