Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker was in awe of Los Angeles Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht after the 22-year-old sharpshooter torched them with 35 points.
“Unbelievable,” the Suns’ four-time All-Star guard said of Knecht.
Knecht scored 20 of the Lakers’ last 22 points in the dramatic 128-122 overtime win on Thursday, October 17.
The Lakers rookie out of Tennessee connected on 10 of 18 shots, including 8 of 13 from downtown.
“You know he can shoot the peel off the ball and that opens up everything else for him,” Booker added. “People will have to crowd him, easier to drive. I didn’t know much about him until Palm Springs, but definitely someone that I have my eye on.”
Knecht’s heroics validated the Lakers’ decision to select him at No. 17 and the hype that he could be one of the biggest steals of this draft.
Dalton Knecht Empowered to Take Over
The audacious Lakers rookie sent the preseason game into overtime with a long 3-pointer in the final six seconds of the regulation over the outstretched arms of Suns 7-foot-3 center Bol Bol, who boasts of a 7-foot-8 wing span.
“To be honest, I just wanted to go shoot it,” Knecht said of his game-tying 3-pointer. “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, I just shot it, and it went in.”
LeBron James, who skipped this game, was on his feet celebrating from the Lakers bench when Knecht knocked down the clutch shot. James, along with Anthony Davis, who also had 35 points and 10 rebounds, empowered Knecht to take over the game down the stretch.
Knecht finished off Booker and the Suns with three more 3-pointers in the overtime.
“I would say it fully took over after I hit the first one on Bol Bol,” Knecht said of having a special night. “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.”
‘That Was Supernatural’
Knecht’s breakout game came after he shot shot just 38.9% from the field and 27% from the 3-point distance in his first four preseason games.
He wasn’t worried at all coming into this game.
“Just shoot it,” Knecht told reporters. “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.”
It was not only Booker who was in awe of Knecht’s shooting prowess.
His coach, JJ Redick, was also impressed and felt vindicated after he praised him before training camp that he belongs to one percent of NBA players in terms of shooting the ball.
“It’s an incredible performance,” Redick said of Knecht’s heroics. “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.”
