Dalton Knecht has to have the Los Angeles Lakers over the moon after he went off in their preseason win against the Phoenix Suns.
Knecht scored a modest 15 points late in the fourth quarter but caught fire from deep in the closing minutes to force overtime. His hot shooting carried into the extra period, as he made some difficult contested 3-pointers that still found the bottom of the net.
The rookie guard ended up dropping 35 points on 8-of-13 shooting from deep, tying Anthony Davis for game-high scoring honors. It was the sort of breakout performance that might force head coach JJ Redick to play him more minutes earlier than expected when the 2024-25 season begins.
Fans have wholly embraced Knecht already, and he’s even caught the attention of celebrities like Snoop Dogg. Snoop Dogg is an avid Lakers fan and gave Knecht a new nickname via First Take:
“The Lakers are on a mission. We got everything we need.” @SnoopDogg thinks the Lakers are going far this season 💪 pic.twitter.com/xGutDourVp
— First Take (@FirstTake) October 18, 2024
In the clip, Snoop Dogg dubs Knecht “Westside Knecht,” which is a reference to the famous hip-hop group Westside Connection. Westside Connection was a three-man group featuring Ice Cube, Mack 10 and WC and had well-known singles like “Gangsta Nation” and “Bow Down.”
It’s quite the nickname for Knecht, who now will be even more tied to the City of Los Angeles, though he seems already to be acclimating well to his new home. Knecht turned heads during the Las Vegas Summer League, and he’s shown some tangible improvement during preseason.
Perhaps Redick already deems Knecht a member of the rotation, as the guard was held out of their final preseason game against the Golden State Warriors. Knecht apparently bumped knees with another player, though it feels like he could’ve suited up if needed. His absence in the last preseason game is a strong indicator that Redick’s seen enough and has plans to use him early in the season.
Los Angeles has earned a strong reputation for its ability to identify talent in the draft and it already looks like they scored a home run with Knecht.
JJ Redick praises Dalton Knecht’s mentality
Redick had to be thrilled with what he saw from Knecht in the win against the Suns. Afterward, Redick had nothing but praise for his rookie and highlighted his mentality as something that impressed him.
