Truly on fire last night, Dalton Knecht was the hero of the Lakers’ victory against the Jazz. Enough to receive the praise of LeBron James in person, who does not understand how 16 NBA teams could let him slip away in the last Draft.
With Jared McCain of the Sixers, Dalton Knecht is the rookie who is igniting the NBA floors the most at the moment: 37 points at 9/12 at 3-points (equaled record for a rookie) last night against the Jazz, just after having scored 27 points this weekend in New Orleans. Knecht had also scored 19 and 14 pawns in the previous two games, and has now taken his place in the Lakers’ major five. In short, the former Tennessee player contributes greatly to the very good Californian dynamic (six victories in a row).
After the match against Utah on Tuesday, LeBron James spoke about the young phenomenon and his very surprising place in the Draft, he who was only selected in 17th position by the Lakers.
“The Lakers didn’t find DK (Dalton Knecht), it was the other 16 teams that screwed up. Has anyone watched him play? What the fuck?”
LeBron is referring to the great performances of Dalton Knecht in the NCAA, he who set the courts of the University of Tennessee on fire with his scoring skills. In 2023-24, Knecht averaged 21.7 points while hitting nearly 40% of his 3-point shots. He was named the best player in the Southeastern Conference, the best forward in the NCAA, and a first-team All-American.
DALTON KNECHT 4TH STRAIGHT THREE & MJ SHRUG. ????????????
(via @LADEig)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) https://twitter.com/TheHoopCentral/status/1859103880220438946?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Difficult to say why Dalton Knecht fell so much in the Draft, perhaps because of his age (“already” 23 years old). But what is certain is that the Lakers rookie has already managed to become an important member of JJ Redick’s rotation. He’s NBA Ready, he’s confident in his abilities, he’s earned the respect of his teammates, and he’s helping Los Angeles go on a winning streak.
What if he joined the race for Rookie of the Year?
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Text source: ESPN
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