“It was an incredible performance,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said after the game. “(TNT analyst) Reggie (Miller) and I talked about it before the game and he said, 'It was high praise to say he's in the top 1% of shooters,' and I said, 'No, he is to the 1% of shooters.' The thing with him is simply the mentality that he has demonstrated in preseason, training camp and games so far. He's not afraid of the moment.”

He added with a grin: “My assistants tried to tell me not to put him back in the game with four minutes left, so I'll get to them later.”

In the five preseason games, Knecht averaged 18.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists per game and a shooting rate of 43.6% from the field. He was selected 17th overall by the Lakers in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Next, Knecht and the Lakers face Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors on Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET to round out the preseason. Knecht's rookie season in the NBA officially begins on October 22nd at 10pm ET on TNT against the Minnesota Timberwolves.