"I was gonna do that"- Dalton Knecht makes feelings clear after JJ Redick reinstates him in starting lineup 

Dalton Knecht made an impressive comeback into the LA Lakers starting lineup after JJ Redick halted his momentum by playing him off the bench for consecutive games. Knecht had found a rhythm with the starting group, and he shone playing next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

However, Knecht was only filling in for the injured Rui Hachimura. Redick preferred to keep the Japanese wing in the lineup once he returned. That seemingly backfired for Knecht and the Lakers.

After averaging 23.8 points on 60.3% shooting, including 57.6% from 3, the rookie returned with single-digit scoring outings in the blowout losses against Denver, scoring nine points and Phoenix, tallying seven.

The new and improved Lakers offense seemed clueless, forcing Redick to include Knecht in the starting lineup again. The first-round pick delivered, scoring 20 points and eight rebounds on 53.3% shooting. He had clear intentions about the impact he wanted to have even before Redick gave him the message of his expectations.

"He [Redick] told me I was gonna start and just be you, just got out there, be aggressive and shoot the ball," Knecht said after Thursday's 119-101 win over the Spurs. "And whether he said that or not, I was gonna go do that."

Dalton Knecht and the LA Lakers ended up snapping a three-game losing streak. They generated a 124.0 rating offensively and 105.2 defensive rating despite a lack of perimeter defensive threats with a starting group involving Knecht, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Knecht had a net rating of 17.1, the second-best among all starters after Davis' 24.0

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Lakers' Dalton Knecht prides himself as a three-level scorer: "Not just a straight shooter"

Dalton Knecht is making his mark as a versatile scorer despite coming into the league with the tag of being one of the best shooters in his draft class. Knecht is making 43.6% of his shots from deep, but that's not all he's relying on. During some of his most impressive games, he's displayed a high IQ as a cutter, slasher and driver.

Knecht can also handle the ball in pick and rolls and score or make plays off those possessions for the bigs with just as ease. He reflected on his skill set after Wednesday's outing, saying:

"I'm not just a straight shooter. I'm a three-level scorer, I think. Showed that in college."

That makes a compelling case for Dalton Knecht to continue retaining his place in the starting lineup. When starting, Knecht has a 121.0 offensive rating across six games. The number slightly dips when he's on the bench to 118.1, but Knecht's traditional stats numbers favor him when he's in the starting lineup.

He's averaging 19.7 ppg and 5.2 rpg, shooting 55.0%, including 38.0% from 3 in six games he's started. Knecht, off the bench, has managed only 7.8 ppg and 2.1 rpg on 46/39/91 splits in 12 games.