Preseason games rarely get attention when it comes to being a precursor for bigger things during the regular season. But every so often, a preseason game demands attention. And it was Dalton Knecht’s performance on Thursday night in the Los Angeles Lakers’ overtime victory over the Phoenix Suns that certainly fit that bill.
Knecht finished with 35 points on 10-of-18 from the field, with eight three-pointers made and seven rebounds. He scored every Laker point from the 1:23 mark of the fourth quarter to the 54.1-second mark of overtime, collecting 20 straight points for L.A. That included a pair of clutch three-point shots at the end of the fourth to close a six-point gap.
The Lakers have been persistent in their messaging to Knecht that they want him to shoot as much as possible and that they trust him. He had been struggling in the team’s four prior preseason outings, but it finally came together on Thursday. He discussed getting the hot hand and how he took advantage, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“Just shoot it. That’s all I was doing was just trying to get open looks and my teammates were giving me the ball and getting me open, so I was just shoutout to them, and I was just going out there and hitting shots that I practice every single day.”
Knecht’s three to send the game into overtime was a step-back fadeaway over Bol Bol’s outstretched arms, a gutsy attempt from the rookie. But that possession was never going to have another end, he says.
“To be honest, I just wanted to go shoot it. I had to redeem myself from last time so no matter what, I was just gonna go shoot it and I had full confidence that I was gonna make that. I practice that all the time, it’s just the hesi 3 and yeah, just shot it and it went in.”
From that moment, Knecht knew he could have a special night if he just kept shooting the ball, and he got the green light to do so.
“I would say it fully took over after I hit the first one on Bol Bol. I felt good and then I just kept shooting them. The overtime shot felt good and Bron and AD said it was time, so it was just time to go take over. Shoutout to my teammates, they were pulling for me.”
Knecht’s ability to take over a game like that—even in preseason—is a remarkable discovery for L.A. to make so early on. He obviously could do this in college, but there is a stark difference between the University of Tennessee and the Lakers.
At this point, there is absolutely no denying that Knecht has earned minutes at the NBA level. It is now a question of how many and which minutes of the game.
Dalton Knecht wasn’t worried about shooting percentages
Knecht knew this type of break-out was possible. Through four games, he shot 21-for-54 from the field (38.9%) and 10-of-37 (27.0%) beyond the arc.
Shooting numbers are going to ebb and flow over the course of a season, especially for a rookie. And that is why Knecht was not concerned about the early percentage struggles as long as the shot quality was strong.
“I thought all of my shots were great looks, no matter [the result]. I know all of my teammates trust me to shoot it, so it’s just finding my rhythm, shooting, and that’s it.”