When Dalton Knecht fell to the Los Angeles Lakers with the 17th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, there was excitement that he would be able to come in and contribute right away give his age.
And following an impressive preseason performance, the former Tennessee Volunteer solidified himself for minutes in JJ Redick’s rotation to begin the year.
That slots Knecht as a much-needed scoring punch because there are not many scoring options off the bench for the Lakers. In a recent game against the Phoenix Suns, the 23-year-old sparked a 22-point comeback by hitting two big 3-pointers early in the second quarter.
Ultimately, the Lakers would pull off that comeback to win a thriller against Kevin Durant and company. Knecht previously mentioned that Durant is his favorite player and he ended up getting the star’s autographed jersey after that game, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
Dalton Knecht got the win against his idol, Kevin Durant, and then walked out of the arena with KD’s autographed jersey pic.twitter.com/iHE3i9S43L
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) October 26, 2024
Despite being a four-year college player and seemingly being NBA-ready, there remains a lot to learn for Knecht. Sports is for enjoyment too though so it must have been a surreal feeling for Knecht to get that jersey from his favorite player.
One of Knecht’s made 3-pointers came with Durant guarding him and that in itself is a moment that the rookie is not going to forget. The NBA is not short on stars and Durant is one of many that Knecht is going to match up against throughout his career.
But being able to stack up against the best of the best and produce offensively on a professional level is a step in the right direction for Knecht. With both L.A. and Phoenix being the Pacific Division, the 6’6″ forward is going to have many more matchups against his idol before Durant decides to call it a career.
Dalton Knecht ‘couldn’t believe’ Snoop Dogg gave him nickname
Originally from North Dakota, Dalton Knecht has to essentially change his way of life as he comes to L.A. to play for the Lakers. Given his last name and wearing the No. 4, he is on the right track to becoming a marketable rookie.
While Knecht 4 is one of the catchiest nicknames on the Lakers team, famous rapper Snoop Dogg would give Knecht another nickname to rival his current one. That name would be ‘Westside Knecht,’ giving the rookie two valid options to choose from.
Regardless of which nickname becomes the fan favorite, Knecht ‘couldn’t believe’ that Dogg even took the time to give him a nickname.
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