Lakers News: Charles Barkley Rips GMs for Letting Dalton Knecht Drop to LA

Ricardo Sandoval | Oct 23, 2024

Oct 17, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht (4) reacts after making a three point basket against the Phoenix Suns during the overtime period at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers are 1-0 through the first game of the season for the first time since 2016. 

The Lakers snapped their seven-game season opener losing streak on Tuesday night and will look to carry that momentum into their next matchup on Friday against the Phoenix Suns. 

The Lakers looked like a different team thanks to their first-year head coach, JJ Redick. The hustle, intensity, and hunger on both sides of the ball were there for L.A., and it was a pleasure to watch. It was night and day compared to the other coaching staff, and if Tuesday tells us anything about the rest of this season, then this team will be in a great position to compete at the highest level. 

All eyes were on Anthony Davis, who played like an MVP candidate he is when he was at the top of the game. While that was the case, NBA Hall of Famer and TNT analyst Charles Barkley was impressed with what he saw from Lakers rookie guard Dalton Knecht. 

Barkley loved what he saw from Knehct and even went so far as to criticize NBA general managers for letting him fall in the draft and go to the Lakers.

“First of all, these NBA General Managers don’t have any idea what they’re doing,” Barkley said on TNT’s Inside the NBA. “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 was projected to be a lottery pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. However, due to his age (23), many teams were worried he wouldn't get any better in his career, and because of that, he fell to No. 17 to the Lakers. 

So far, he is looking like the steal of the draft, and he is the perfect player L.A. needs at this point in time. He is mature, and he could be played in the lineup from day one, and we saw that on Tuesday night. 

Knecht scored five points in his NBA debut, dished out two assists, and grabbed one rebound in 16 minutes of action in the Lakers' 110-103 win over the Timberwolves. It was a solid debut, as he made two of four field goal attempts and one of three attempts from three-point range. 

Knecht comes to the NBA from Tennessee, where he was among the best players in the SEC. In his lone season as a Volunteer, he averaged 21.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. 

Now, he is with L.A. and could eventually play a vital role for the team down the road. 

More Lakers: Lakers Defeat Timberwolves, Snap Seven-Game Season Opener Losing Streak