Dalton Knecht wasted little time making an impression in his New York Knicks debut Wednesday, scoring 10 points in a 135-105 blowout win over the Chicago Bulls just over two weeks after the Los Angeles Lakers waived him.

The former first-round pick provided an immediate spark in limited action at Madison Square Garden, raising questions about the Lakers’ decision to let him go in favor of keeping Bronny James on their 15-man roster.

Knecht’s promising debut also offered an early glimpse of the wing depth he could provide the reigning NBA champions.

Dalton Knecht’s Strong Debut Sparks Praise and Lakers Second-Guessing

Knecht checked in late in the first half with New York holding a commanding 70-39 lead. He made his presence felt almost immediately, crashing the glass after Landry Shamet missed a corner 3-pointer and throwing down a putback dunk that energized the MSG crowd.

The former Tennessee standout capped his first-half stint with a step-back 3 in the waning seconds, extending New York’s lead to 84-49 and helping the Knicks match their franchise record for first-half points.

The 25-year-old added another triple in the fourth quarter and a pull-up jumper, finishing 4-for-6 overall (66.7%) with 7 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block in 16 minutes.

After Knecht’s impressive showing, the conversation quickly turned west.

“Dalton Knecht obviously has a ways to go before he’s a consistent role player (assuming he ever gets there), but the Lakers waiving him and keeping Bronny James was wild,” Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey wrote.

The Lakers moved on from Knecht on Oct. 19 as they trimmed their roster entering the regular season, and New York added him on a two-way deal four days later.

The 17th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft averaged 9.1 points per game in Year 1 and matched the league’s rookie mark with 9 3s in a 37-point outburst against the Utah Jazz. His minutes dropped off in his second season under Lakers coach JJ Redick, with him seemingly losing confidence following a rescinded 2025 trade deadline deal that would’ve sent him to the Charlotte Hornets.

As for James, the 2024 No. 55 pick has logged just 12 minutes across five appearances this season, scoring 4 total points, with concerns persisting about his limited offensive impact.

LA fan page LakeShowYo put the question plainly: “Did the Lakers make a mistake by choosing Bronny over him?”

Sports media personality Cuffs The Legend was more pointed: “[Lakers general manager] Rob Pelinka did Dalton Knecht dirty and it could’ve killed his confidence but good to see him find a team who will let him rock out.”

Regardless, LA has started 7-2, good for second in the Western Conference as Luka Dončić continues to thrive on a revamped roster tailored to his skill set.

On the Knicks’ side, the reactions looked ahead. Underdog NBA quipped, “The Dalton Knecht era in New York has begun.”

Author Tommy Beer offered a more measured take, writing, “Dalton Knecht clearly has an NBA skill set.”

One New York fan page relished the end-of-roster production:

“We really sat through two years of the Pacôme Dadiet experience just for Dalton Knecht to turn into prime Klay Thompson the second he put on a Knicks jersey.”

Knicks coach Mike Brown was just as effusive in his praise of Knecht’s offensive game, declaring, “He’s a scorer. He’s not just a shooter.”

Notably, Knecht remains on a two-way deal, and most of his 16 minutes came after halftime against a Bulls team that has won once all season (1-7). So, he may still have his work cut out for him to earn consistent playing time as the Knicks (4-4) gain their footing after a slow start.