“It was an unbelievable performance,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said after the game. “(TNT analyst) Reggie (Miller) and I were talking about it before the game and he said, ‘It was high praise to say he’s in the 1% of shooters’ and I’m like, ‘No, he is in the 1′.% of shooters.’ The thing about him is just the mentality. It was very clear during pre-season, during training camp and so far in games. He is not afraid of this moment.”

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

Through the five preseason games, Knecht is averaging 18.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists per game and shooting 43.6% from the field. He fell to the Lakers for the No. 17 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Then, Knecht and the Lakers will take on Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors on Friday at 10:30 PM ET to wrap up the preseason. Knecht’s rookie season in the NBA officially kicks off against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 22 at 10pm ET on TNT.