Skip to main content
tennessee logo

Watch: Dalton Knecht goes off for 35 points in Lakers preseason game, including 20 straight

IMG_3593by:Grant Ramey•10/18/24•

GrantRamey

Dalton Knecht | LA Lakers
Dalton Knecht | LA Lakers

Dalton Knecht has seemingly picked up in the NBA preseason where he left off at Tennessee. The one-and-done transfer star for the Vols scored 35 points for the Los Angeles Lakers Thursday night, carrying the team to a 128-122 overtime win on the road against the Phoenix Suns.

Knecht scored 13 points in overtime and at one point had scored 20 straight for the Lakers. He finished 10-for-18 from the field, including 8-for-13 at the 3-point line, and grabbed seven rebounds to go with his 35 points in 32 minutes off the bench.

“It was an incredible performance,” Lakers first-year coach JJ Redick said after the game. “That was supernatural.”

“I was just hooping,” Knecht said.

The Lakers selected Knecht with the 17th overall pick in the first round of the NBA Draft. Redick in September described Knecht as being in “the 1% of shooters.”

“Dalton Knecht, to me, I told him this the other day, he is in the 1% of shooters,” Redick said on the Lowe Post Podcast with Zach Lowe. “He’s in the 1%.” 

Knecht had 19 points against Golden State on Tuesday, going 5-for-13 from the 3-point line. He had 16 against Minnesota in the preseason opener on October 4 and 13 at Milwaukee last Thursday.

“He has a skill that is just hard to find,” Redick said. “He’s going to have a chance to earn a spot in the rotation.”

Dalton Knecht averaged 21.7 points per game in All-American season at Tennessee

Knecht starred in his one season at Tennessee last season, leading the Vols to the Elite Eight while averaging 21.7 points per game — he shot 45.8% from the floor and 39.7% from the 3-point line —  and 25.5 points in SEC games. He was the SEC Player of the Year and a consensus first team All American after transferring from Northern Colorado. 

He scored a career-high 40 points against Kentucky in his final game at Food City Center. He scored 30 or more points in eight games, 20 or more points in 19 games and 10 or more points in 32 of Tennessee’s 36 games.

On July 3 Knecht signed his rookie contract that, according to Spotrac, was worth $18.4 million over four years, with $7.8 million guaranteed at signing.

According to the Spotrac numbers, Knecht will make $3.8 million as a rookie in 2024-25, then $4.01 million in 2025-26. The third and fourth years of the deal includes club options, with Knecht set to make $4.2 million in 2026-27 and $6.4 million 2027-28.

“We would have never imagined a player as skilled and sort of perfect for our needs would be there for us, as Dalton Knecht (was),” Lakes director of basketball operations Rob Pelinka said after the draft.

You may also like