Dalton Knecht’s incredible NBA journey is getting the ultimate pay-off with the Lakers

Dalton Knecht’s NBA dreams could have died so many times. Instead, he’s living his fantasy with the Lakers.

Dalton Knecht’s NBA dreams should have been over when he didn’t land a scholarship to his dream school, Colorado, coming out of high school in suburban Denver. He was forced to play JUCO ball the next two years, which eventually led to an opportunity at tiny Northern Colorado. Knecht failed to land a starting spot in his first year with the Bears. In his second, the team finished only 12-20 with Knecht as their leading man.

There aren’t many NBA stories that begin in junior college and include a stop in the Big Sky Conference, but then again there aren’t many basketball journeys as incredible as Knecht’s. As he splashed a pull-up three that sent the Los Angeles Lakers’ home crowd into a frenzy and caused LeBron James to jump for joy on the sidelines, Knecht’s impossible path to this moment fully came into focus.

Knecht’s off-ball scoring can be just as deadly in the league as it was during his super-senior year at Tennessee. While he experienced set backs few NBA players can relate to early in his career, he’s been lucky enough to find the perfect home for his skill set on multiple occasions now.

Knecht popped off for 37 points as the Lakers beat the Utah Jazz in NBA Cup play on Tuesday night. It was the type of game young shooters dream about: nine made three-pointers, a stretch of 22 consecutive points, and a new level of respect earned from his Hall of Fame teammates. This is what it’s like to be in the zone. It’s a beautiful thing.

Timing is everything in life, and Knecht has had great timing as of late.

Knecht benefitted from the transfer portal when his two years at Northern Colorado resulted in a scholarship offer from Tennessee. The Vols had long been one of the nastiest defensive teams in college basketball, but they were in desperate need of scoring. Knecht walked onto campus and was immediately the second best player in America behind Zach Edey, establishing himself as a fearless bucket-getting machine who could rip deep threes and attack the rim with force.

Few people thought Knecht would slip out of the lottery in a weak draft class, but the NBA still has a distaste who players who turn 24 years old in their rookie year. The Lakers were thrilled to see him still sitting on the board at pick No. 17. In reality, the Lakers were thrilled to have their pick at all. The New Orleans Pelicans were owed the Lakers’ first-round pick in 2024, but had the option to defer to 2025.

It felt like a sensible move for the Pelicans to push the pick back a year into a stronger draft when James and Anthony Davis were another year older. A month into this season, the Pelicans’ roster has been devastated by injuries, and the Lakers have a new rookie star who is an ideal fit for their system.

Knecht has always been at his best when someone else sets up his scoring chances. In that regard, it’s hard to imagine a better landing spot than playing with the Lakers for a head coach like J.J. Redick.

Redick knows what it’s like to be a dynamic college scorer making the jump to the NBA. Knecht is taller and more athletic than Redick ever was as a player, but there’s a lot of similarities in their games, from the movement shooting ability to the quick trigger to the deep range. To watch Knecht zoom around screens, square himself to the basket, and hit shots felt like a vision of Redick from 10 or 15 years ago.

Knecht might struggle on a team who needed him to create his own shot more frequently. Against the Jazz, 11 of his 12 made field goals were assisted. He’s leveraging the gravity of his shooting range to open up holes in the defense, and he doesn’t lack confidence when he has an opening.

Knecht’s defense has been problematic dating back to Tennessee. The Lakers aren’t asking him to do too much on that end, either, not with James playing free safety and Davis patrolling the backline. Right now, the Lakers rank No. 4 in offensive efficiency and No. 23 in defensive efficiency, per basketball-reference. The offense has to produce at an elite level to keep players like Knecht, D’Angelo Russell, and Austin Reaves on the floor, and so far it’s living up to it.

Knecht is part of a generation of young athletes whose careers were interrupted by the pandemic and altered forever by the transfer portal. In football, Jayden Daniels spent five years in college and Bo Nix spent six years in college before going on to have successful rookie seasons in the NFL. When Knecht was the same age as his rookie peers in the 2024 NBA Draft, he was slumming it in junior college, and could only dream of playing with LeBron on the Lakers.

Knecht should be an inspiration for young players who don’t get the looks they want right away because their grades aren’t good enough, their growth spurt hit late, and their scholarship spot was taken by someone else. He could have given up on playing in the NBA at any point, but his love for the game ran too deep. Knecht is living his dream on the Lakers right now after a winding road to get there. It’s only going to get better from here.