Dalton Knecht is HIM! Well, the Lakers headed into tonight’s Jazz game a bit shorthanded as they were missing Rui Hachimura due to an ankle injury. But as JJ Redick has done in the last two games, he bumped Knecht to the starting lineup as a replacement. It does not come as a surprise because JJ has deemed him a “Top 1% shooter” in the past. And the rookie lived up to that claim tonight as he dropped a career-high 37 points to lead his team to victory.

Yes, even leaving LeBron James and Anthony Davis in awe, Knecht made nine deep range shots to extend the Lakers’ winning streak to six. What’s even more impressive is that he did it in only twelve shot attempts. Moreover, he was also highly efficient from the field as he shot 12 of 16 overall. And he grabbed five rebounds in the process.

But what caught everyone’s attention was the rookie’s flurry toward the end of the third quarter and the beginning of fourth when he scored 22 straight Laker points and made the game out of reach for Utah. And he even gave the crowd a ‘Michael Jordan shrug’ as he shot lights out from deep during that period. Sure enough, the Crypto.com arena was buzzing throughout and gave Knecht a standing ovation when he got subbed out. Well, this was his third straight start in Rui’s absence and he has averaged 26 points in that span. If he continues playing like this, he might find a permanent spot in JJ’s starting lineup.

Dalton Knecht’s takeover keeps the Lakers undefeated in the NBA Cup

With Knecht putting on a show in LA, the Purple and Gold franchise finished the night with an easy 124-118 victory. Moreover, they bagged their second group stage win of the NBA Cup, and they are the only team in the tournament’s history to remain undefeated. Yes, they did not lose even a single game last season as they became the inaugural in-season tournament champions. And they have continued that streak this year.

More importantly, this also continues their hot start to the season as they are now 10-4 and on a six-game winning streak. Adding to the accolades, they also have not lost a game at home so far. Of course, Knecht has been a major reason why. Not only tonight, but he has been playing great since the very first game, averaging 9.3 points so far. And the rookie has been shooting 40.4% from deep. Well, Rob Pelinka and Co. found a real gem and they would be thanking their stars that he fell as low as number 17 in the draft. Do you agree?