The 1-0 Los Angeles Lakers are already seeing important contributions from the very few new rotation pieces they added this offseason. Rookie Dalton Knecht, who the Lakers drafted at No. 17 overall, played 16 minutes in the season opener and was a plus-seven with five points. One person who was instantly impressed was Charles Barkley.
While Barkley is known more as an entertainer for the game of basketball than he is a true analyst, he still is an all-time great in the sport and can recognize potential talent when he sees it. He saw it immediately with Knecht and believes he has a bright future ahead of him.
He so strongly believes this that he had a message for the 16 teams that passed on Knecht in the 2024 NBA Draft, via NBA on TNT:
“These NBA general managers don’t have any idea what they’re doing. Letting the Lakers get Dalton Knecht was one of the stupidest things I’ve ever seen. That’s a bad boy right there. Dalton Knecht, remember that name, y’all.”
It was a surprise to many when Knecht dropped all the way to the Lakers at No. 17. He had been projected as a top-10 pick heading into draft night, but teams opted against him, likely due to the fact that he is already 23. But he is showing why that experience is a benefit, not a drawback.
He looks ready to contribute right now, something that can’t be said of many of the other first-round picks in June’s draft. And Barkley recognizes that the Lakers landed themselves a steal with the 17th pick and the rest of the league is going to regret letting a player of that caliber fall so far.
Devin Booker keeping an eye on Dalton Knecht
Dalton Knecht dropped 35 points on 10-for-18 from the field and 8-for-13 from 3-point range against the Phoenix Suns in the final preseason game for him. His explosive scoring outburst, including 20 straight points, earned the purple and gold a thrilling overtime win.
Suns star Devin Booker took notice of this performance and acknowledged that he will be keeping an eye on Knecht this season.
To already earn the respect of Booker after one preseason game is special and this could be the first of many stars recognizing how good Knecht truly is. The Lakers rookie should have a chip on his shoulder to prove that his fall in the draft was unwarranted.
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