Why Dalton Knecht had 'fun' during career game vs. Grizzlies
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LOS ANGELES – Shooters keep shooting, that's the old basketball adage. It doesn't matter if they're in a slump, shooters have to keep taking shots. Los Angeles Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht has been in a shooting slump, but broke out against the Memphis Grizzlies with a career game.
Dalton Knecht dropped a career best 19 points during the Lakers' game against the Grizzlies while shooting a perfect 5-of-5 from the three-point line. Because of his hot hand, head coach JJ Redick opted to close the game with Knecht in the lineup alongside starters LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura.
To be able to have that trust from his coach, to close out the game and contribute to a win, was just a really fun experience for the former Tennessee star. Especially playing in the same backcourt with Reaves who has been a big supporter of Knecht since college.
"It was fun playing in crunch time, when every single play matters. It was a lot of fun going out there and hearing the energy on the court," Knecht said following the Lakers' win against the Grizzlies. "Me and AR have been close. He texted me a long time throughout college and just gave me pointers throughout my time there. Now he's my teammates I could always go to him asking questions, and he's been super helpful."
Knecht finished the game with 19 points, two rebounds, three assists and one steal in 31 minutes of play. He only missed one of the eight shots he took.
Dalton Knecht's importance as Lakers' rookie
Coming into the 2024-25 season, it wouldn't have been a stretch to think that Knecht would spend some time in the G League with the South Bay Lakers. But after a strong preseason and first couple of regular season games, it was evident that he would be a rotation player.
In the third NBA game of his career, Knecht played a big role in a Lakers' win against the Sacramento Kings with ten points on 4-of-7 shooting in 20 minutes off the bench.
He had been in a shooting slump lately though with a combined 4-19 from the field in his previous three games before his offensive explosion against the Grizzlies. But Redick and the rest of the team have never wavered in their belief in him. They've encouraged him to keep shooting no matter what.
"I trust my shot and I work on it every single day. My teammates know that and they want me to keep shooting the ball every single day or every single game," Knecht said. "They always look for me and JJ's got tons of confidence in me, always calling my number and having plays for me. I'm just going out there, staying confident and not only just trying to shoot the ball, but find my teammates, and then play defense and grab rebounds."
Through the Lakers' first 11 games of the season, Knecht has been averaging 7.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists with splits of 44.6 percent shooting from the field, 37.2 percent shooting from the three-point line and 100 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
The post Why Dalton Knecht had 'fun' during career game vs. Grizzlies appeared first on ClutchPoints.
