Dalton Knecht Stats Tonight: Lakers rookie wreaks havoc in preseason showdown vs Kevin Durant's Suns (Oct. 17)
Dalton Knecht stole the show in LeBron James' absence for the LA Lakers in their preseason showdown against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night. Knecht single-handedly brought the Lakers back into the contest, leading them to a 128-122 OT win.
Knecht tallied 35 points, seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks on 10-of-18 shooting, including 8-of-13 from 3-point range and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line in 31:52 minutes. He had one turnover and one personal foul.
Dalton Knecht lights up Suns in the clutch
Knecht scored 20 consecutive points for the Lakers in the clutch. He embarked on his scoring burst with 1:23 left in the fourth quarter, hitting a technical free throw. Knecht followed that by cashing in two consecutive 3s to send the game into overtime tied 111-111.
He began OT by sinking two free throws, followed by three consecutive 3-pointers and a layup that helped the Lakers keep Phoenix at bay despite the back and forth between the teams that kept the Suns within touching distance of matching LA's total. Knecht scored his final points off a block that he got on the other end on the previous possession, displaying his two-way potential.
The final points from Knecht extended the Lakers lead to 126-122 with 55 seconds left. Jaxson Hayes sealed the deal with a layup with 29 seconds left, giving the Lakers a six-point lead and the win.
Lakers coach JJ Redick hails 'supernatural' effort from Dalton Knecht
JJ Redick maintained his praise for Dalton Knecht after reiterating that the Lakers rookie is in the "top 1% of shooters" in the NBA. He called his effort "supernatural" while revealing a conversation he had with TNT announcer Reggie Miller.
“Reggie [Miller] and I were talking before the game and he was like, ‘It’s high praise to say he’s in the top 1% of shooters …’ Well, nah, he’s in the top 1%. … That was supernatural what he just did,” Redick said (h/t Dave MceMenamin).
Knecht seems to have made a compelling case to break into the Lakers rotation, which isn't the most easiest thing to do as a rookie, especially on a LeBron James-led team.
However, the hot 3-point shooting and killer mentality is unlikely to go unnoticed on new coach JJ Redick's watch. The rookie coach has vouched to improve LA's shot profile and 3-point shooting this year, and it seems likely to be the case if Knecht is in the rotation in a prominent role.