With the Los Angeles Lakers looking somewhat fatigued and simply unable to get into any real rhythm on Saturday against the New Orleans Pelicans, they needed an injection of energy. They got exactly that from rookie Dalton Knecht.

Knecht, who got off to a slow start to this season, started to perk up in the two games prior to Saturday’s contest. Against New Orleans, he had the game of his young basketball life with 27 efficient points, seven rebounds and some big plays down the stretch to help the Lakers come away with a 104-99 victory. The University of Tennessee product has started in their last two games in place of the injured Rui Hachimura.

Saturday’s win was their fifth in a row, and it has elevated them into fourth place in the Western Conference. Being fourth in the West almost a month into the season was unthinkable when the season started, especially given the lack of established supporting talent around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. But Knecht may be changing that a bit.

James, who previously praised Knecht for a strong game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, said after Saturday’s game that he wasn’t surprised by the 23-year-old’s impressive outing.

Via Lakers Nation:

“That he’s been a pro for a while,” James said of what this recent stretch shows about Knecht. “I talked about it last year, so it’s no surprise to me… No surprise to me.”

James knows the Knecht has the ability to be a significant difference-maker right now for Los Angeles.

“His shooting, his finishes. He can get is off versus anybody. He’s 6’8-6’9 and he’s got a quick trigger, so it doesn’t take long for him to get them up. He’s sneaky athletic as well so his ability, when he starts getting those 3s to go and then he’s putting the ball on the ground and finishing at the rim as well, we saw that a couple times tonight. It was big-time for us, especially with Rui being out, Cam being out. We had a lot of bodies out as well just like they had.”

Knecht isn’t just a 3-point sniper. He also has the ability to attack off the dribble, especially off of closeouts, moves well without the ball and can contribute in transition, either as a finisher or even a ball-handler.

If he continues to play well consistently, head coach JJ Redick will have a good problem in terms of how to find playing time for him, Hachimura and forward Jarred Vanderbilt when Vanderbilt returns from offseason foot surgery.