The calendar has turned to October and that means that the start of the NBA season is right around the corner. The Los Angeles Lakers opened up preseason play with a 124-107 loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night but rookie Dalton Knecht turned in a fantastic performance.
The former Tennessee standout tied a team-high 16 points on seven-of-13 sooting from the field while adding three rebounds, two assists as well as a singular steal and block.
16 PTS / 3 REB / 2 AST
DK’s preseason debut
pic.twitter.com/ygknbz5YjR— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) October 5, 2024
It is just one preseason game but Knecht is building off of what was already a strong performance in the NBA G League. And while Friday night’s matchup was a preseason game and stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis didn’t play, a number of key Laker players did including Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and D’Angelo Russell.
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The Lakers selected Knecht with the 17th pick in the NBA Draft over the summer. Most projected Knecht to go in the top 10 of the draft but the Tennessee star fell to the teens and landed in a beneficial spot with a good team where he could affect winning as a rookie.
In his lone season at Tennessee, Knecht averaged 21.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. He was even better in SEC play where he averaged 25.5 points per game on 48% shooting from the field and 42% shooting from three-point range.
The Northern Colorado transfer was a scoring sensation and was at his best when the lights were brightest. He scored 40 points once, 35-plus points six times, 30-plus points seven times and 25-plus points 13 times in his incredibly impressive season in Knoxville.
Knecht earned SEC Player of the Year and First Team All-American honors while winning the Julius Irving Award which is given annually to the nation’s top small forward.
With Knecht in the fold, Tennessee turned in its best season in program history. The Vols won the SEC Regular-Season Championship outright while also making the program’s second ever run to the Elite Eight.
