Dalton Knecht is becoming the talk of the NBA.
But before Knecht was dropping 37 points in a professional game and powering the Los Angeles Lakers to another big win, LeBron James was secretly a big fan.
“Same s*** I saw last year,” said James, when asked about being ahead of the curve in praising Knecht.
Los Angeles downed the Utah Jazz 124-118 on Tuesday.
The 23-year-old Knecht was the primary reason why.
He scored a game-high 37 points on 12-of-16 shooting, while also recording a game high in minutes (38) and calmly giving a Michael Jordan shrug.
Even more impressive was Knecht sinking 9 of his 12 3-point attempts in just his 14th pro game.
After falling to the Lakers as the No. 17 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft out of Tennessee, the former junior college player has been one of the league’s early season breakthroughs.
With Knecht sinking 3s and cracking Los Angeles’ staring lineup, the Lakers have improved to 10-4 in the first year under rookie head coach JJ Redick.
The King isn’t surprised.
“Everybody on the internet called me a liar,” James said. “So, what am I now?
“I watched him. I watched Tennessee a lot — I watched Tennessee a lot.
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“I did not think he would fall to us. I thought it would be impossible.”
Knecht’s accuracy and confidence have Lakers fans believing that Los Angeles has finally found a perfect complement to Anthony Davis and James, who is already the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and coming off an Olympic gold medal run in Paris.
“Lakers really got the best rookie of the draft for no. 17 pick?!” one fan tweeted.
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“Lakers found the next Klay Thompson,” a second fan posted.
“ROOKIE OF THE YEAR,” a third fan wrote. “Not a debate.”
Knecht, who spent two seasons playing for Northern Colorado in the Big Sky, tied the NBA’s rookie record for 3s made in a game (nine).
He also impressed Davis, who placed his hands over his head in disbelief after the No. 17 pick drilled another long-range shot.
“Couldn’t get 40,” Davis joked.
The Lakers have won six consecutive games and are third in the Western Conference.
James and Davis backed Knecht against the Jazz with 26 points apiece.
The rookie has a ways to go before he cracks the list for the best basketball players on the planet.
But Knecht is already an instant sensation in Hollywood.
