“Knecht 4?”
“Westside Knecht-ion?”
Shrugs!
It doesn’t matter what you call it. When it comes to downtown Los Angeles, Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht is the truth.
With a shot from beyond the arc that is cleaner than the new Lakers City Edition and NBA Cup courts, the rook has been bucketing some new fans.
Reggie Miller knows he’s clutch.
The King doesn’t think his Lakers stole him in the draft. “They didn’t find DK — the other 16 teams f–ked up!”
Enough said.
All eyes might have been on the young prince and his history-making moment with LeBron, but right now, Bronny James is marooned in South Bay, whereas a new star is born in La La Land… and he’s even starting sometimes, too.
When Dalton and Bronny were introduced to the press this summer, most questions were pitched to the son of a G.O.A.T. James Jr. has heart and more basketball smarts than most think, but even his grace knew who the microphones should have been directed towards.
Once upon a time in Hollywood, like Leonardo DiCaprio’s Rick Dalton, Knecht has everyone whistling, clicking their fingers, and pointing at their television sets when he’s found downtown with the ball in his hands.
Lakers color commentators have been saying, \”Knecht connects for three,\” so much that it sounds like they’re speaking in tongues when Dalton is possessed from the parking lot.
LA may be getting blown out more times than birthdays of late, with New York blackout devastation, but DK is still throwing it up, no barrel bricks like Donkey Kong. A breath of fresh air when he puts it up there, he’s just what all the old King’s men need right now, like young coach JJ Redick.
Anthony Davis was playing like an MVP until he got poked in the eye more times than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Jarred Vanderbilt remains as hurt as the shot he took from Anthony Edwards. And Gabe Vincent’s game is still on a milk carton. Meanwhile, D’Angelo Russell is either auditioning for Sixth Man of the Year or his next team.
Thank the basketball gods for Dalton Knecht and Austin Reaves, not to mention the Lakers’ scouting department. We know all about the likes of Brandon Ingram and Julius Randle, but how about those selected later in or outside of the draft? Household names like Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, Ivica Žucić, and Alex Caruso also stand out.
Let’s just hope the front office is as smart as the scouts and keeps these two pale riders.
With downtown-to-midrange gunner Rui Hachimura also nursing an injury and experiencing inconsistency lately, the Lakers gave Dalton a start. He may even rival Rui for his spot soon if Knecht keeps playing like this.
Although defensive ace Killa Cam Reddish may also stake his claim.
In the Lakers first five, the Tennessee kid has been more than a volunteer. He gets electric from the perimeter, like the microwave he is off the bench.
He made music against the Utah Jazz, last week, to the tune of 37 points and five assists. In the third quarter, the 23-year-old rained in 21 all together. Racking them up like he had the money ball in his palm.
Nine for twelve from three-point land, tying the record for the most threes made by a rookie in a single game (Keyonte George, Yogi Ferrell, and Rodrigue Beaubois), Dalton Knecht has to be in this year’s NBA All-Star three-point contest.
Shoot-outs in the wild west have never been this thrilling.
It was pure joy to watch Dalton from downtown in a McGrady-like moment, making the minutes count—shot after shot, second to second.
The ice may just be in his veins when it comes to three-pointers. He can dunk strongly too, mind you. On November 13th, he scored a then career-high of 19 against Memphis. Three days later, he upped that ante to 27 against New Orleans. And another three days later, he hit up the Jazz.
What a week.
Capping it all off with a 22-foot-three-pointer and an MJ shrug that went viral. Guess who gave him the celebration idea?
Rui.
It’s all love between the Lakers as they look to down the haters from downtown.
Memphis, New Orleans, and Utah are all American cities famous for their music, with jazz having been played in two of them. But in Hollywood, Dalton Knecht is making movies.
Just watch.
