Dalton Knecht is the shooter the Lakers have always wanted but never had

In Wednesday’s win against the Grizzlies, Dalton Knecht showed why he is the shooter the Lakers have been searching for all these years.

LOS ANGELES - The answer to the Lakers’ 3-point shooting woes lies in the hands of Dalton Knecht.

Yes, he’s a rookie. No, he wasn’t a top pick or even a lottery selection.

Knecht fell on draft night and the Lakers volunteered to take the shooter from Tennessee with the No. 17 pick.

Only 11 games into the season, their investment in the rookie has already bore fruit.

He’s secured himself consistent playing time, averaging 16.9 minutes per game. Knecht has had a handful of notable performances, like his 10 points in the comeback win versus the Sacramento Kings and his 18-point game in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

On Wednesday, against the Grizzlies, he usurped all those contests with the best game of his young career.

This wasn’t a good performance from Knecht in a game that had already been decided. The Lakers were fighting to comeback in the second half and had to play without Anthony Davis for long stretches after he picked up his fifth foul at the 3:51 mark of the third.

At that moment, Knecht was on the floor and did what he does best: make 3-point shots. He scored on back-to-back 3-pointers to make it a one-possession game and kept L.A. in it with their best player off the floor.

Los Angeles took Knecht's hot streak and turned it into a 128-123 victory, remaining undefeated at home.

After the win, Lakers coach JJ Redick talked about how pivotal that moment in the game was for the team.

“I thought he was the catalyst for our comeback,” Redick said postgame. “It wasn’t just AD being in foul trouble and time and score. It was also just the energy. For whatever reason, we had trouble getting stops, had some turnovers, didn’t execute, we kind of lost our life a little bit. I thought those back-to-back ones were huge.”

Throughout the game, Knecht showcased every 3-point shot in his arsenal. He scored from the top of the arc, hit open jumpers on the wing and converted on a corner three thanks to an assist by Rui Hachimura.

Nothing in life is perfect, but from 3-point range, Knecht literally was, making all five of his attempts. In fact, he only missed one field goal, ending the night with 19 points while going 7-8 from the field.

After the game, LeBron James pointed out Knecht’s play and even said the team leaned on the rookie in this come-from-behind victory.

Knecht’s scoring will get most of the attention, but his biggest play was an assist to Christian Koloko.

With 10:55 left in the game, Knecht pushed the ball up the court, penetrated inside and lobbed it to Koloko for the dunk.

The basket evened the score at 96 and the crowd erupted, realizing the comeback was complete and the momentum had shifted in L.A.’s favor.

Knecht certainly doesn’t play like a rookie, but he sounded like one when describing this moment in the game.

His response was short and came off like someone who hasn’t had a moment like that often because, well, in the NBA, he hasn’t.

“I don’t remember much except grabbing the ball and I saw Koloko running and then I just threw the ball up for a lob and he dunked it,” Knecht said postgame. “It was good to see that. And see the energy in Crypto.com Arena.”

It’s hard not to let Lakers exceptionalism run wild when seeing what Knecht already is and what he can ultimately become.

Simply put, the Lakers have never had a shooter they could rely on to knock down open threes consistently.

Last season, the Lakers were ranked 24th in the NBA in 3-point makes with 11.8 per game and that was with D’Angelo Russell setting the franchise record for made threes in a single season.

The early indications are that Knecht can be that 3-point threat the franchise has been searching for.

Given that it is his rookie year, he’ll only get better with more reps this season and in the years to come.

If he keeps improving and continues to be a hardworking, coachable player, he’ll join the long and impressive list of players who came to the Lakers as unknowns and carved out a role on the team and in the NBA.

Recent examples that come to mind are undrafted players such as Alex Caruso and Austin Reaves and late first round pick Kyle Kuzma and early second-rounder, Max Christie.

Based on his actions and words, he’s well on his way to this best-case scenario.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.