The Lakers rookie is a monster! Even LeBron James is absolutely delighted
Artemy Berstenev October 18, 2024, 2:15 PM Moscow time
Dalton Knecht had an incredible streak during an NBA preseason game.
Forward Dalton Knecht, who recently joined the Lakers with the 17th pick in the NBA Draft, has already made an impression. During the last NCAA season, LeBron James himself noticed the 23-year-old’s talent. Now the King can proudly say, “I knew I was right!” After all, what Knecht has shown today is a true rarity in the NBA.
NBA preseason games
October 18, 2024, Friday. 05:00 Moscow time
phoenix suns
Phoenix
Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles
Phoenix Suns: Booker – 22, Durant – 19, Nurkic – 15, Beal – 13, Jones – 11, O’Neal – 7, Ighodaro – 6, Bol – 6, Gillespie – 5, Morris – 5, Washington Jr. – 4 , Plumlee – 4, Dunn – 3, Bridges – 2, Okogie, Allen, Lee, Kaminski
Los Angeles Lakers: Davis – 35, Knecht – 35, Reeves – 18, Wood – 12, Russell – 9, Vincent – 7, Christie – 7, Reddish – 4, James – 4, Hayes – 4, Hood-Schifino – 3, Traoré – 2, Vanderbilt, Koloko, Castleton, Lewis, James, Hachimura, Goodwin, Olivari, Kelly
In a preseason game with Phoenix, Knecht was on the court in the final minutes of the game alongside Bronny James, LeBron’s son. Bronny finished the game with four points in 17 minutes. However, the key moment came a minute and a half before the end of regulation time, when the Suns led with a score of 111:104.
After a while, Bronny reduced his team’s lead to five points, successfully completing a layup. But what happened next deserves special attention: Dalton Knecht scored an incredible 20 points in a row! Especially significant was his triple, which sent the game to overtime. Knecht continued to shine in extra time, showing excellent accuracy from beyond the arc.
The video can be seen on Chaz NBA’s YouTube channel. Video rights belong to NBA MEDIA VENTURES, LLC.
LeBron was so amazed that his reaction needed no words (as were other Lakers players). It’s funny, but Lakers coach JJ Redick admitted after the game that his assistants advised him to take Knecht off the court four minutes before the end. Dalton himself spoke modestly of his performance: “I was just playing basketball.”
Without a doubt, the young forward stands out from another Los Angeles rookie, Bronny James, for his convincing play. And this is not surprising. Even more impressive is the fact that Dalton currently has the best points per game average of any preseason rookie in Lakers history with 18 points.
It seems like the Lakers have a special instinct for talented white players. First, Alex Caruso became something of a “legend,” then it was the turn of Austin Reeves (popularly the son of his mother’s friend). And it seems that the Los Angeles public and the team’s fans will soon be completely delighted with Dalton Knecht.
The basketball department of the “Championship” actively produces materials as part of current special projects: “The best games of the Russians in the NBA” and “Yegor Demin’s path to the NBA.” You can access the articles for these projects by clicking on the corresponding block below.
