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Charles Barkley Looks Like A Genius After Dalton Knecht Prediction Comes True

Shandel Richardson

Nov 19, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht (4) react after scoring a three point basket against the Utah Jazz during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Nov 19, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht (4) react after scoring a three point basket against the Utah Jazz during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
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NBA great Charles Barkley is probably somewhere smiling with a big grin that says, "I told you so."

Barkley can take a victory after Los Angeles Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht had a career-high 37 points in Tuesday's victory against the Utah Jazz. Before the season, it was Barkley who called Knecht the steal of the draft.

"These NBA general managers don't have any idea what they're doing," Barkley said on an episode of Inside The NBA during the preseason. "Letting the Lakers get Dalton Knecht was one of the stupidest things I've ever seen. That's a bad boy right there. Dalton Knecht: remember that name, y'all."

Knecht slipped in the draft last June despite winning the SEC Player of the Year award. Many considered him a lottery pick but he dropped to the Lakers at No. 17. Knecht had nine 3-pointers in the performance to set a rookie record.

Even LeBron James gushed over Knecht, calling out the other teams who passed on him. This season Knecht is averaging 11.3 points on 52 percent shooting as a key cog for the Lakers.

"They [The Lakers front office] didn't find DK [Lakers guard Dalton Knecht]. The other 16 teams f---ed it up," James said Tuesday night. "Anybody watch him? S--t! They just didn't f--k it up. You don't 'find' a SEC player of the year."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com