Lakers’ Dalton Knecht drops 37 points and ties NBA rookie record with nine 3-pointers

On By Littum

Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht celebrates after making a 3-pointer in the second half of an Emirates NBA Cup basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

It looks like the Lakers got exactly the player they needed with Dalton Knecht. (AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

Dalton Knecht was the biggest steal of the 2024 NBA Draft, and the Los Angeles Lakers are truly making themselves out to be bandits.

In his fourth career start, the guard dropped 37 points on 12-of-16 shooting (9-of-12 from deep) with five rebounds and zero turnovers. His nine 3-pointers tied an NBA single-game rookie record, matching similar nights from Keyonte George, Yogi Ferrell and Rodrigue Beaubois,

Notably, all three of these rookies posted their historic accomplishments in February or March, after several months of seasoning. Knecht made his NBA debut less than a month ago.

That performance included an 18-point stretch for the Lakers. Of course, he hit the Crypto.com Arena with a Michael Jordan shrug after one of those 3-pointers.

You’d be forgiven if the Lakers’ preseason coverage led you to believe that Bronny James was the Lakers’ most important rookie, but Knecht was and surely still is the biggest building block of the team’s future.

He never really should have made it to Los Angeles in the first place, but that’s how the draft ended up working out. Knecht was widely expected to be a top 10 pick after a breakout season at Tennessee in which he showed next-level scoring ability, especially with his 39.7% 3-point shooting, but his age of 23 could have blown teams from. It’s easy to believe that a teenager can grow into a star, less so for a guy two years after his first legal drink.

The Lakers had no such concerns about the potential, they just wanted a player who would make them better this season.

Knecht was a perfect fit for a team that always needed more shooting around LeBron James, but especially after a year in which they were ranked No. 24 in the NBA in 3-pointers. And because the cap space-strapped Lakers were unable to add any impact players in free agency or via trades, Knecht was their biggest addition of the offseason, player-wise.

So it’s a very good sign for the Lakers that the guy they drafted to make an immediate impact as a shooter just shot his way to 37 points.