The Los Angeles Lakers’ offseason seemed more centered around Bronny James being drafted to play with his father. But, Dalton Knecht might be the steal of the draft. In tonight’s preseason game against the Phoenix Suns, Knecht scored 35 points, connecting on eight 3-pointers. He scored 20 of the last 22 points for the Lakers, including this three-point bomb over Bol Bol to send the game into overtime:
After an impressive senior year with Tennessee, the 6-6 guard fell into Los Angeles’ laps with the 17th pick. Here’s a look at what he did:
Knecht is in the perfect situation. He is a shooter. His coach, JJ Redick is a great shooter and a well-decorated collegiete player. Those are two things that Knecht has in common with Redick. Redick was already drawing up plays for Knecht when they drafted him because they have such similar styles. Redick talked a lot about the Lakers needing a “movement shooter”, which Redick made a 15-year NBA career off of. Rob Pelinka and Redick both believe Knecht fits that category. But tonight, Knecht showed that he’s much more than just a shooter. He was scoring off pindowns, isolations, pull-ups, driving to the basket. He showed his full offensive arsenal.
Knecht can fit right into the Lakers and make an impact already. With all the open looks he will get from playing with a passer like LeBron, he can have a really impressive rookie year. Pelinka said the organization wasn’t sure if they will be able to keep the 17th pick because it was owned by the New Orleans Pelicans due to the Anthony Davis trade. But the Pels agreed to defer their rights to the pick until 2025, giving the Lakers the opportunity to draft Knecht Four. The City of Angels should be excited about this young player.
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