The NBA world is a never-ending news cycle. Since it is a sport that is played almost every day, players constantly talk about not wanting to get too high or too low from game to game. For freshmen, this can be difficult – even more so when you have less than 24 hours to play the final game, compared to college where you might play two games a week.

For the No. 17 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the test begins in exhibition play. On Thursday, Dalton Knecht conquered the NBA world with his 35-point victory over the purple and gold pine. His offensive explosion was complemented by seven rebounds, one assist, two rebounds and two steals in 32 minutes.

The Tennessee product helped the Los Angeles Lakers to 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 cannot be included in the press clipping, which the JUCO product understands.

This will be the first consecutive set of the 23-year-old’s career and it comes after his best game. After the late arrival, he was asked in the locker room about preparations for a game at Golden State on Friday night.

“Just forget about this game, at the end of the day we won, so no matter what happens, just stack up the days. Learn from and ask questions about what LeBron (James) and everything they’re doing to prepare for a back-to-back.” “Back up and just listen,” Knecht said.

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