Lakers Dalton Knecht has the hot hand

A few games ago Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and head coach JJ Redick addressed their frustrations with Dalton Knecht. They expect him to shoot every time he's open. Knecht heard their cry and started playing out of his mind last Tuesday night against the Jazz. Shooting lights out with confidence and had a career night with 37 points. He shot 9-12 from the three-point line and tied the NBA rookie record.

JJ Redick manifested this historic night. A few days ago, Redick shared with reporters that they don't have to tell Knecht to shoot and in some ways he's like a goldfish. Redick went on to say that the rookie can be 1 for 8 from the three-point line but he needs to and keep shooting. James, Davis, and Reddick have the confidence in Knecht to make shots and contribute to the team.

"Knecht has a growth mindset, he wants to get better," Reddick said. That is the reason why they recently placed him in the starting lineup over Cam Reddish. That switch made all the difference in his recent success.

The Lakers have a strong belief that Knecht will be a great player in this league. It's obvious Redick and the coaching staff are excited about Knecht's rapid growth already in a short time span.

Redick shares that Dalton is fearless. "The guys have a real understanding of where he is at all times on the court, similar to Steph Curry's teammates," Redick said jokingly. "I have to be cognitive sometimes when I get an after-time-out play and I get an idea. I get really excited and I want to draw them all for Dalton."

Recognizing the hot hand shows a level of unselfishness from the Lakers, which is why they sit at 10-4 and third in the Western Conference standings. Their best record in over 10 years through 14 games.

LeBron James is still surprised that they were able to get Knecht at pick number 17 in the 2024 draft. He says he watched Tennessee while Knecht was in college and knew he was going to be good. James said, "Everybody calls me a liar all the time. They say I lie about every thing. So what am I now?" James said the Lakers did not find him the other 16 teams messed up.

James didn't think Knecht would land with the Lakers and didn't know how it happened. Shared that he's grateful and happy that he's with them. "I knew exactly what we were getting when we got him. Dalton is building trust with the Lakers and they know that they have an offensive weapon in him.

While Dalton was hot, every time touched the ball, the crowd was screaming for him to shoot, no matter where was on the court. "They were going crazy, every time I hit the shots." He said playing with James and Davis makes it easy for him to get wide-open shots.

The Lakers will look to continue this high-level play against the Nuggets at home on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and on the road against the Suns, Tuesday at 7 p.m. and the Spurs at 5:30 p.m., on November 27. They return home on November 29, at 7 p.m.