LOS ANGELES — VFL Dalton Knecht is turning out to be a pretty good use of a first-round pick. The 23-year-old rookie has been turning it on to start his NBA career with the Lakers, and on Tuesday night, Knecht turned in the greatest performance of his young professional career.
In the Lakers' 124-118 win over the Utah Jazz, he scored a career-high 37 points, having 22 straight points at one point in the game.
Knecht also made nine three-pointers in the Lakers' win to tie the NBA rookie record. He joins just two other Lakers who made that many in a single game: Lebron James and Kobe Bryant. Four of those three-pointers came in just over a minute and 40 seconds in the third quarter.
His former teammates and coaches at Tennessee knew just how special he could be. UT basketball assistant coach, Greg Polinsky, wishes he could spend one more year coaching Knecht at Tennessee.
"If he came back through the door, we'd welcome him with open arms," said Polinsky. "We'd be happy to have him one more year, and then one more year."
His former teammate and Tennessee guard Jordan Gainey said it's like watching him at Tennessee all over again when he goes on a hot streak in the NBA.
"It looks like a Tennessee practice out there," said Gainey. "We all knew it was going to happen, and DK is just a special player. To see him go out there and live out his dreams is something we all like to see."
