a slow start to his rookie season in which he averaged 6.1 points per game, Dalton Knecht is beginning to show why Charles Barkley called him “a bad boy” during the preseason.
Knecht put on a show Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. The Lakers rookie, a 6-foot-6 guard they picked 17th in the 2024 draft, showed why he was SEC Player of the Year and a first-team All-American at Tennessee.
Initially, Knecht’s age made some NBA general managers hesitant during the draft, but the former Tennessee standout is proving experience matters.
The 2023-24 SEC Player of the Year, who averaged 21.7 points in college, has been on tear lately, best exemplified by his record-tying performance on Tuesday night when he drained nine 3-pointers while powering the Lakers to a 124-118 victory over the Utah Jazz. His shooting was nearly flawless: 12-of-16 from the field, including 9-of-12 from beyond the arc, plus 4-of-5 from the free-throw line, adding up to a career-high 37 points.
During the preseason, Barkley scolded GM’s for not understanding Knecht’s potential.
“These NBA general managers don’t have any idea what they’re doing,” Barkley said on “Inside the NBA.” “Letting the Lakers get Dalton Knecht was one of the stupidest things I’ve ever seen. That’s a bad boy right there. Dalton Knecht: remember that name, y’all.”
While Knecht’s early season numbers (38.6% field goal percentage, 1.1 assists per game) showed the typical struggles a rookie has when playing their first NBA games, his recent explosion suggests he’s finding his rhythm. His shooting ability is exactly what the Lakers have been searching for, and if his preseason performance against Phoenix (35 points) was any indication, this could be just the beginning.