Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- Dalton Knecht's shooting spree led the Lakers to a 124-118 victory over the Jazz.
- Knecht tied the rookie record with nine 3-pointers, exploiting Utah's defensive lapses.
- Jazz coach Will Hardy emphasized the need for better team awareness and problem-solving.
LOS ANGELES — As soon as Dalton Knecht touched the ball on the wing, the Los Angeles Lakers crowd started to rise.
Knecht had just hit two straight 3-pointers from the very same spot, and the fans were eager for more. The result was predictable: another Knecht splash.
That was part of a shooting flurry where Knecht hit six 3-pointers in less than four minutes in the Lakers' 124-118 win over the Jazz Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena.
"It seemed like everybody in the gym knew that Dalton Knecht was going to shoot the next shot, with the exception of a few people," Jazz coach Will Hardy said. "The problem was that those few people were on our team."
Knecht was already hot (he had just made two in a row and already had five total in the game), and Lakers coach JJ Redick knows more than most that when a shooter has it going keep feeding him.
Redick dialed up play after play to get Knecht shots. The Jazz, though, didn't respond.
Soon enough, Knecht tied the rookie record for 3-pointers in a game with nine. The flurry turned an 11-point LA advantage into a 25-point one. Knecht won the Lakers the game. The loss dropped Utah to 3-11 and 0-2 in the NBA Cup play, which just about eliminates them from reaching the knockout stages of the tournament.
"The awareness of what's going on in the game, the ability to recognize and solve problems as a team is something that we're going to have to continue to work on," Hardy said. "That's going to be a big part of our growth."
Hardy said thinking as a group is an ability all great teams have; it's the capacity to problem-solve together. So when a good shooter connects on a couple of shots, there should be a common understanding not to let him get a third one off — let alone a fourth … or fifth … or sixth.
"The guy makes his second one, everybody kind of looks at each other, the coach included, and it's like, 'He's not getting the third.'" Hardy said.
That means sometimes even deviating from the game plan. Knecht torched Utah's zone in the third quarter; but instead of adjusting to his hot hand, the Jazz overplayed drives, leading to open looks.
There was blame to go around. Lauri Markkanen and Collin Sexton both left Knecht open in the first half; and Cody Williams struggled to stay connected with him in the third. So even when the Jazz got a hand to his face ... well, it was too late.
The Jazz forced him into two contested pull-ups to end the third quarter, but at the point he was already in such a rhythm that it didn't matter. He nailed both.
"Systems, both offensively and defensively, usually have rule because it helps keep the order of things on both sides of the ball," Hardy said. "But there has to be license to play and to recognize what's going on around us. And in certain moments, say, 'I don't care about the rules this guy's made four in a row.'"
Williams admitted that's just what he should have done.
"Probably should have done that more," he said. "Especially you go to know your scout and personnel and it's just kind of reading the game and make adjustments."
So consider Tuesday a very loud lesson for the rookie wing. The Jazz came into the game worrying about LeBron James (26 points and 12 assists) and Anthony Davis (26 points and 14 rebounds), who both had fairly causal double-doubles. They ended up on the wrong end of a rookie shooting explosion.
"Some of the best experiences are lived," Hardy said. "You have to go through it some, and you're hoping, like, 'OK, this next possession, we're going to get this right.' And then when it doesn't happen, you — and you being me — you feel like an idiot, because you're like, 'Oh my gosh, like it really happened again.' And so if it's anyone's fault, it could be mine."
That is also part of Hardy's coaching philosophy. He doesn't want to run a program where players look over their shoulders after one miscue. He wants them to work through things together … and overcome mistakes … and ultimately grow together.
So, yeah, he was hopeful his team would recognize what everyone else had already figured out: The Lakers were going to get the ball to Knecht and he was going to take a shot. It made for one harsh learning moment.
"When I watch our team play, there's more good basketball being played than bad — the bad moments right now are just really loud," Hardy said.
