Lakers Rookie Wants to 'Keep Stacking Days' After Preseason Outburst

The NBA world watched in awe of Los Angeles Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht with his offensive outburst that produced 35 points off the purple and gold pine.

Oct 15, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht (4) gestures to a teammate after scoring against the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter of their preseason game at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images / Candice Ward-Imagn Images

The NBA World is a never ending news cycle. A sport that plays nearly every day, players constantly talk about not wanting to get too high or too low on a game-to-game basis. For rookies, this can be hard - even more so when you have less than 24 hours to flush the last game, compared to in college where you might play two games a week.

For the No. 17 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the test will start in exhibition play. On Thursday, Dalton Knecht took over the NBA world with his 35 point outburst off thee purple and gold pine. His offensive explosion was complimented by seven rebounds, an assist, two rebounds and two steals in 32 minutes.

The Tennessee product helped the Los Angeles Lakers pull off a 128-122 overtime victory over the Phoenix Suns. Knecht was one of the most impressive players on the floor in this preseason affair but can not get wrapped up in the press clipping, which the JUCO product understands.

This will be the first back-to-back set of the 23-year-old's career and it comes after his best game. He was asked in the locker room about preparing to play in Golden State on Friday Night after the late arrival.

"Just forget about this game, at the end of the day we got the win, so no matter what just keep stacking days. Learn from, ask questions about what LeBron [James] and all them do to get ready for a back-to-back and just listen," Knecht said.

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