One of if not the brightest spot for the Los Angeles Lakers this preseason was their rookie Dalton Knecht. Seeing how he was projected a top-10 pick and fell to No. 17, it presented L.A. with a lottery talent scorer that can come in and produce right away.
A reason to Knecht’s in the draft was due to his age, being an older guard at 23. But that works better for the Lakers as they get a well-rounded scorer to add to the rotation.
Notably, 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, via Suns reporter Trevor Booth:
VIDEO: Devin Booker on Dalton Knecht’s 35-point game with eight made threes:
“Unbelievable. He can shoot the peel off the ball.
“I didn’t know much about him until Palm Springs, but definitely somebody that I have my eye on.”#Suns #Lakers #SunsUp #LakeShow #NBAX pic.twitter.com/mBpOXMptaC
— Trevor Booth (@TrevorMBooth) October 18, 2024
During the early part of the regular season, Knecht is presumably going to be in the rotation due to Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood being out. If he hopes to be a mainstay and get minutes throughout the season, he needs to be able to score consistently the way he did in the preseason.
However, the former Tennessee Volunteer also showcased an ability to crash the glass, which is an emphasis of head coach JJ Redick. At 6’6″, Knecht can do things like rebound and be a system defender when his shot is not falling.
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, and there’s no doubt he is excited for the regular season to start.
Austin Reaves: watching Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht is ‘pure excitement’
During Dalton Knecht’s scoring flurry against the Suns, the Lakers starters and rotation players were witnessing it on the sideline and cheering him on. While they know Knecht is a tremendous scorer, to see that in a game environment must have put it into perspective.
Specifically for Austin Reaves, he felt ‘pure excitement’ watching their first-round pick put on a show against Phoenix.
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