SAN FRANCISCO — Dalton Knecht has had a whirlwind rookie season, one that’s seen him show out in front of his idol Kevin Durant, electrify a home crowd with 37 points and insert him into a bizarre NBA story that saw him traded and then sent back.
Friday, he added a live appearance on Greek television and a spot in Sunday’s All-Star Game to the list.
With his team winning Friday’s Rising Stars Game, Knecht will play Sunday against a squad that includes LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Durant in a semifinal matchup as part of the league’s new All-Star format.
“Playing on Sunday, going against all the All Stars, you know, it’s gonna be fun,” Knecht said. “I watched a lot of it growing up as a kid. Now I’m a part of it.”
As Knecht got his first taste of NBA All-Star Weekend, the sting from being dealt by the Lakers (and then returned) was starting to dissolve. Knecht played for the first time since the botched trade Wednesday in Utah before representing the Lakers in San Francisco.
“Going back to the gym and shooting, you know, clears out my head. Just getting shots up,” Knecht told the Times.
He looked at ease Friday playing alongside eventual MVP Stephon Castle, who finished with 12 points and three rebounds in the championship game.
In the first of two games where the first team to 40 won, Knecht scored seven points, opening the action at Chase Center with the first basket of the weekend — a three.
In the final against a team made up of G-League representatives, Knecht scored five, the points coming late as his team pulled away, setting up the opportunity to trash talk with James.
“I usually don’t start it. I usually don’t start talking. I usually try to finish it,” Knecht said. “So, you know, we’ll see.”
He got the full All-Star experience Friday, complete with a news conference where he answered questions about wanting to watch a fictional dunk contest between 40-year-old LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Vince Carter, whether he has made friends with any of the NBA’s Filipino players, if he’s got a favorite Mexican restaurant and if he would one day want to compete in the dunk contest instead of the three-point contest.
“I think I could do both,” he said.
Knecht’s return to the Lakers comes with his future this season and beyond in question. The Lakers, once so happy that Knecht fell to them at No. 17 on draft night that they eschewed their plans to either take Orlando wing Tristan Da Silva or Baylor center Yves Missi, were obviously comfortable enough to move on from him in pursuit of center Mark Williams despite Knecht playing rotation minutes all season.
There have been growing pains, a prolonged shooting slump and a handful of viral clips showing an upset Lakers bench after Knecht messed up a play. Questions about his defensive play made the Lakers more willing to move on from him in a deal with Charlotte that eventually was rescinded.
The Lakers will be shopping for centers this summer in free agency and via trade, and Knecht is one of the team’s best assets.
Until any decisions are made, Knecht has made it clear he just wants to play basketball, armed with the lessons learned from the first chunk of his career that’s included some wild opportunities — an All-Star appearance being the latest.
“At the end of the day, I’ve realized like really early that it’s a business. And one day you can be with the Lakers, and one day you can be on another team,” Knecht said. “So at the day, it’s kind of quick. You can’t take the moment for (granted). You gotta just enjoy every single time.”
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