Dalton Knecht is quickly becoming the best shooter in Lakers history

LOS ANGELES – The answer to the Lakers’ 3-point shooting woes lies in the hands of Dalton Knecht.

Yes, he is a rookie. No, he wasn’t a top pick or even a lottery pick.

Knecht fell on draft night, and the Lakers volunteered to take the Tennessee shooter with the No. 17 election.

Just 11 games into the season, their investment in the rookie has already paid off.

He has secured consistent playing time with an average of 16.9 minutes per game. match. Knecht has had a handful of notable performances, such as his 10 points in the comeback win against the Sacramento Kings and his 18-point game in a loss to Cleveland Cavaliers.

On Wednesday against the Grizzlies, he usurped all of those contests with the best game of his young career.

This was not a good performance from Knecht in a match that was already decided. The Lakers struggled to come back in the second half and had to play without Anthony Davis for long stretches after he picked up his fifth foul at the 3:51 mark of the third.

At that moment, Knecht was on the floor doing what he does best: making 3-point shots. He scored on back-to-back 3-pointers to make it a one-possession game and kept LA in it with their best player off the floor.

Los Angeles took Knecht’s hot streak and turned it around for a 128-123 win and remained undefeated at home.

After the win, Lakers coach JJ Redick talked about how crucial that moment in the game was for the team.

“I thought he was the catalyst for our comeback,” Redick said after the game. “It wasn’t just AD who was in foul trouble and had time and scores. It was also just the energy. For some reason we had trouble getting stops, had some turnovers, didn’t execute, we lost a little bit of life. I thought those back-to-backs were huge.”

Throughout the game, Knecht showcased every 3-point shot in his arsenal. He scored from the top of the arc, hit open jumpers on the wing and converted on a corner three thanks to an assist from Rui Hachimura.

Nothing in life is perfect, but from 3-point range, Knecht literally was, making all five of his attempts. In fact, he missed just one field goal, finishing the night with 19 points while going 7-8 from the field.

After the game, LeBron James pointed out Knecht’s play and even said the team leaned on the rookie in this come-from-behind win.

Knecht’s scoring will get most of the attention, but his biggest play was an assist to Christian Koloko.

With 10:55 left in the game, Knecht pushed the ball upcourt, penetrated and lobbed it to Koloko for the dunk.

The basket tied the score at 96 and the crowd erupted, realizing the comeback was complete and the momentum had shifted in LA’s favor.

Knecht certainly doesn’t play like a rookie, but he sounded like one when he described this moment in the game.

His response was short and came off as someone who hasn’t had a moment like this often because he hasn’t had it in the NBA.

“I don’t remember much other than I caught the ball and I saw Koloko running and then I just threw the ball up for a lob and he dunked it,” Knecht said after the game. “It was good to see that. And see the energy in the Crypto.com Arena.”

It’s hard not to let the Lakers’ exceptionalism run wild when you see what Knecht already is and what he can eventually become.

Simply put, the Lakers have never had a shooter they could rely on to knock down open threes consistently.

Last season, the Lakers ranked 24th in the NBA in 3-pointers made at 11.8 per game, and that was with D’Angelo Russell setting the franchise record for threes made in a single season.

The early indications are that Knecht could be the 3-point threat the franchise has been searching for.

Considering it’s his rookie year, he’ll only get better with more reps this season and in the years to come.

If he continues to improve and continues to be a hard-working, coachable player, he will join the long and impressive list of players who came to the Lakers as unknowns and carved out a role on the team and in the NBA.

Recent examples that come to mind are undrafted players like Alex Caruso and Austin Reaves and late first-round picks like Kyle Kuzma and Max Christie.

Based on his actions and words, he is well on his way to this best case scenario.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.