It doesn’t look like JJ Redick has seen what happened with Jonathan Kuminga and the Warriors to not let a similar situation manifest in his team. A revealing moment captured by the Los Angeles Lakers’ broadcast crew has shed new light on the growing frustration regarding rookie Dalton Knecht’s role in the rotation. During the Lakers’ matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, commentators disclosed a private exchange between the sharpshooting youngster. It seems to underscore the tension with the head coach surrounding the young player’s lack of minutes.

While Dalton Knecht was at the bench tonight, the announcers at Crypto.com Arena revealed his conversation with them. The 24-year-old’s response to a simple ‘how you doing,’ reflected what he’s going through.

After saying, “I’m doing good, man,” Knecht told the broadcasters what he really wanted. “Just, I want to play.” Knecht has been a healthy scratch for multiple games since January. Tonight though he was listed as questionable with a hamstring injury.

But he’s trying to stay upbeat by telling the sportscasters, “So I just gotta be patient.”

The announcers consoled him with the classic “wait your turn” approach. “I said, ‘Brother, you’re a great player. You’re a talented player. You’re gonna go somewhere eventually. Or if I work out here, but eventually your number will be called. Just gotta be ready to play.'”

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Despite the earnest plea from the former Tennessee star and the sportscaster’s kind advice, the broadcast suggested that JJ Redick has maintained a firm stance on the rookie’s development.

Dalton Knecht could fall lower in JJ Redick’s rotation

The context behind Knecht’s four-word plea lies in a season that has seen his role sharply decline. After a promising start to his NBA career where he was viewed as a potential cornerstone and a “steal” of the draft, Knecht has recently averaged fewer than five minutes per game over several stretches.

Redick has publicly cited his defensive inconsistencyas the primary reason for Knecht’s benching. Early into 2026, Redick was talking about giving Knecht more minutes to improve the team’s 3-point shooting woes. But that stretch went parallel to the team’s jarring defensive drawbacks that Knecht didn’t improve.

In one instance in December 2025, JJ Redick singled Dalton Knecht out for the Lakers’ loss to the Suns, criticizing him for not knowing the meaning of a “flood” play. Fans instead turned on the head coach for killing Knecht’s confidence. They blamed him for not giving other players reps to develop by prioritizing Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves for heavy minutes. (They also hate that this leaves Doncic and Reaves prone to injuries.)

It didn’t help the rumors that the Lakers shopped Knecht to other teams before the trade deadline. Knecht wanted to leave but the deadline has passed and he’s still here. A year after the cancelled Knecht trade to the Hornets, other teams wouldn’t settle for one player. After what the announcers revealed the motivations behind Knecht’s trade demand indicates the opposite – he doesn’t just want to stay in LA, he wants to be useful to the team too.

His open desire to play serves as a reminder of the high expectations placed on him by the fanbase. Now Redick has a sharpshooter in Luke Kennard. For the post-trade deadline Lakers, the question remains whether Redick will eventually yield to Knecht’s request or if the player will remain a spectator in the trench.