Last week, former Tennessee basketball star Dalton Knecht was sent down from the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers to the franchise’s G League team. He made the most of it, though, scoring 30 points on 10-for-17 shooting from the field and 6-for-10 on threes, with five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. He also threw down a posterizing dunk for the highlight of the game. The South Bay Lakers defeated the San Diego Clippers 127-118 in the matchup.
Since then, Knecht has returned to the NBA, but played just four minutes in the win over the Utah Jazz. The move has sparked questions on why he was sent down in the first place, though.
Former NBA All-Star and champion Jeff Teague gave his thoughts on the Club520 podcast. He questions why there isn’t a dedication to the former first-round pick.
“I have a real question. This is no hate. This is real s***,” Teague said. “Why he in the G (League) and Bronny not in the G (League)? … I don’t care that he’s playing in the G League. I’m saying that he was a first-round pick. Now, if he wanted to go to the G League because he wanted to get some reps, that’s different. If he requested to go to the G League, we don’t know. But I’m just saying, he’s a first-round pick. If you don’t like him, can y’all please move on from him? Like give the man a chance.”
The following video contains profanity.
Jeff Teague wants to know why Dalton Knecht is in the G League instead of Bronny James
“No disrespect to Bronny but like, Knecht was a 1st round pick”
(Via @club520podcast) pic.twitter.com/BHXzS0epUl
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) December 17, 2025
More From RTI: Former Tennessee Basketball Star Dalton Knecht Makes Most of G-League Debut
As a rookie, Knecht played in 78 games and started in 16 for the Lakers. He averaged 9.1 points on 46.1% field goal shooting and 37.6% on deep balls. He was dealt to the Hornets at the trade deadline, but a separate piece of the trade failed the following physical, which vetoed the trade. This kept Knecht in Los Angeles, where he remains to this point.
However, Knecht has become a popular piece in projected trade deadline moves. He’s still a young shooter with a positive upside that plenty of teams could want to take a swing at. His one-game stop in the G League could result in his stock being raised as a trade piece.
At Tennessee, Knecht played just one season but made the absolute most of it. In a year where he won SEC Player of the Year and was a consensus All-American, he averaged 21.7 points per game on 45.8% shooting from the floor and 39.7% on threes. He also averaged 4.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.
