JJ Redick is one of the greatest shooters in NBA history. He ranks 20th in career 3-point makes and his 41.5 percent average from deep ranks 18th all-time.

Redick knows a good shooter when he sees one. And according to him, Dalton Knecht fits that bill.

Redick anointed Knecht as part of the top one percent of shooters before the rookie played in an NBA game. That skill is going to shine in Los Angeles. Redick began drawing up plays for Knecht as soon as the team drafted him, per The Athletic’s Jovan Buha.

Many of those sets are similar to the ones that Redick ran throughout his own career, or ones that he picked up in the league and named his favorites during his podcasting days with LeBron James. That is just one reason why if there’s anyone to serve as the perfect mentor to Knecht, it’s Redick.

Here’s how Redick can turn Knecht into a better version of himself.

Lakers using Dalton Knecht like JJ Redick 2.0

It makes too much sense that Redick is running his favorite plays for Knecht. Not only are they both elite shooters, but they are both elite movement shooters. Knecht shared on draft night that he watched a lot of Redick’s tape at Tennessee to learn how to create space for himself.

As pointed out on the Half Court Hoops Substack page, one action that Redick is recreating from his playing days for Knecht is a ghost screen followed by a re-screening action. This change-of-direction set creates space for great shooters to get clean looks from 3.

Redick has used Knecht frequently in actions where he sets a screen and then receives one.

This one, where Knecht sets a back screen and comes off a screen to receive a pass from the post, was successful both throughout the preseason and the regular season:

And here’s another screen-the-screener action that Redick himself broke down with James before using it for Knecht:

Redick has stated the importance of getting more 3s out of a Lakers roster that ranked 28th in attempts last season. Knecht, who has the ultimate green light, is the easiest avenue toward boosting that number. In the rare instance where Knecht hesitated to let it fly, Redick lit into him from the sideline, screaming at him to “shoot the f—ing ball.”

Knecht now has a coach who has supreme confidence in his skill and is going to get him the best looks possible.

How JJ Redick can get the most out of Dalton Knecht on defense

At 6-3 and with mediocre athleticism, Redick was never the most talented defender on the court, but he was able to play part of good defensive teams because he fought hard on that end of the floor.

“A lot of people would talk about JJ’s deficiencies defensively,” Redick’s Magic and Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy told Sporting News. “I never saw it that way. He could be part of a great defensive team because of his discipline.”

Knecht had similar criticisms surrounding him at Tennessee. While he’s a great athlete, that doesn’t translate to the defensive end of the floor where he can look stiff at times. Redick is trying to mold him into a competitor anyway. He told The Athletic’s Jovan Buha what he expects out of Knecht.

“I just said, ‘Hey, you’re not gonna be a lockdown defender. I need your competitive spirit on that end of the floor to be higher.’ And it was higher the next day, and it’s been higher ever since.”

Knecht’s defensive hustle has shown up during the first week of the 2024-25 season. He hasn’t been perfect — crafty veteran DeMar DeRozan made him look bad at various times — but he’s been challenging shots and remaining engaged.

Knecht’s 6-7 height does give him natural advantages to guard better than Redick. He’s switched onto players ranging from De’Aaron Fox to Julius Randle, which fits into the switch-heavy strategy that Redick is trying to employ this season. The goal for Knecht is to be a do-your-job defender, and he’s checking that box thus far.

While the two shooters share plenty in common, there is one key difference between them: Redick was glued to the bench at the beginning of his career, entering only 76 games over his first two years in the league. Knecht has played in all five Lakers games thus far.

As Knecht told Redick when asked if he’s ready, “I’m always ready.”