"They were real disrespectful" - Dalton Knecht reveals Ja Morant trying to humiliate LeBron James fueled Lakers' win over Grizzlies

LA Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht spoke about Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant's actions during their second matchup in the 2024-25 NBA season. Specifically, Knecht took issue with Morant's antics against LeBron James during the first matchup.

In the first game on Nov. 6, Memphis secured a 131-114 victory. Knecht didn't have the best game as he exited after getting elbowed in the jaw by Jake LaRavia and only had three points on 1-for-7 shooting.

The Lakers sought revenge a week later as they hosted the Grizzliees. In an interview with ESPN, Knecht spoke about the team's mentality heading into the game.

"Go for the throat," Knecht said. "They tried to embarrass us on their home court."

Knecht was peeved with Morant, who was "saying he was pretty much the new king around here when Bron's still in the league."

"They were real disrespectful," he continued. "We had that game ready on our minds."

In their second game against Memphis, Knecht and the Lakers took care of business. The forward had 19 points off the bench and shot a perfect 5-for-5 from deep. James led the team with a triple-double of 35 points, 12 rebounds and 14 assists.

For the 2024-25 season, the two teams will face against each other one last time on March 29.

---

The Lakers were "ecstatic" after drafting Knecht

One of the Lakers' better decisions was selecting Knecht in the draft. A source revealed to McMenamin the organization was "ecstatic" when they got the chance to draft Knecht.

"Literally everybody was ecstatic," a source said. "Usually there's a couple pissed-off people after draft night because sometimes it's a tough decision made. ... And it was like everybody was just happy. Nobody was pissed off. Nobody was even close to being like, 'Well what about this?' It was like zero discussion, zero argument. Everybody was just happy. High-fives, celebrating. ... Let's go."

Knecht is one of the favorites to win the Rookie of the Year award. He's played 20 games this season and has started in seven. He's averaging 11.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.