For the Los Angeles Lakers, the upcoming season is difficult to predict. They still have LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the roster. If we overlook their physical issues, which is a challenge, particularly with Davis, a team with these two players healthy should have a clear objective: to compete with the best. However, there has been a coaching change and far fewer new faces than would have been ideal. In fact, the summer was rather underwhelming for the purple and gold fanbase, who feel that the team hasn’t made a clear step forward compared to last season.

Dalton Knecht shines for Lakers

This relatively unchanged status quo has been disrupted in recent months, however, largely by one name: Bronny James. LeBron’s son, drafted 55th overall, has raised concerns in the preseason about whether he’s ready for the NBA at this point in his career. The preseason unfolded with this backdrop, and as the games progressed, another rookie began quietly gaining attention… until today, when he made a major impact.

Dalton Knecht, the 17th overall pick, exploded in last night’s preseason game against Phoenix with an astonishing performance: 35 points on 8/13 shooting from three, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in 32 minutes of play. On the surface, these numbers are outstanding. But looking closer, his impact was extraordinary. Knecht scored 20 of the Lakers’ final 22 points and 25 of his 35 points came in the fourth quarter and overtime. He forced overtime with a three-pointer over Bol Bol (who stands 2.21 meters tall) and then scored 13 of the Lakers’ 15 points in overtime, including 3/4 from beyond the arc. He even blocked a shot and converted it into a fast-break and-one to seal the game (122-128).

It was a display that had his teammates on their feet, with LeBron mimicking shooting imaginary shots into the air with each three-pointer his new teammate sank, while the crowd at Phoenix’s Footprint Center looked on in disbelief, struggling to comprehend how a newcomer to the league was dismantling them in such fashion.

This wasn’t the first time in recent days that Knecht had shown flashes of his potential. His greatest asset? A remarkable ability to score from distance. On Wednesday, he already dropped 19 points in 21 minutes against the Warriors, and in the first preseason game against the Wolves, he finished with 16 points in 25 minutes. So far, he is averaging 18 points, 3.6 three-pointers made on 36% shooting, 4.2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1.2 steals per game this preseason. If he can maintain similar numbers during the regular season, he’ll see plenty of time on the court.

Though Knecht was projected as a top-10 pick in this draft due to his shooting ability, concerns caused him to slip to 17th, where the Lakers eagerly selected him, desperate for outside shooting. His arrival in the league at 23 and his defensive weaknesses worked against him in the draft. Teams tend to prefer younger players with supposedly higher growth potential. However, Knecht is proving that, even if his ceiling doesn’t increase dramatically, he’s already ready to play in the NBA. He’s also shown signs of working on his defensive shortcomings, which were initially seen as his Achilles’ heel, during these preseason games.

Who has scored the most consecutive NBA points in a single game?

Truth be told, the answer to this question was harder to find than most others. But after flicking through the archives it would appear that the most consecutive points scored by a player in an NBA game, remember this is in official encounters, not preseason, is 33 by the legend that was Wilt Chamberlain, who left us in 1999 aged just 63. He wowed the crowd doing so during a game on February 17, 1962, while playing for the Philadelphia Warriors.

Another shoutout on this front goes to Devin Booker, who scored 28 consecutive points for the Phoenix Suns against the Boston Celtics on March 24, 2017. This incredible feat was part of his career-high 70-point performance in that game. As you may expect, both LeBron James and Michael Jordan have also been in the high 20s.