Dalton Knecht’s 37-point outburst leads the Lakers to their sixth straight win

On By Littum

LOS ANGELES – As the Los Angeles Lakers bench and the Crypto.com Arena crowd stood in anticipation, everyone in the building knew where the ball was going.

Dalton Knecht had made three 3-pointers in a row. The audience buzzed. His teammates jumped and waved their arms.

Knecht had to take the next shot. It was just a matter of how the rookie would open.

After a failed screen attempt to get Knecht the ball, Utah Jazz rookie Cody Williams inexplicably helped him away. Knecht caught a pass from D’Angelo Russell and considered getting up, but didn’t like the look. He dribbled backwards to gain momentum, dribbled forward and launched his fourth 3-point attempt in less than two minutes.

As the ball went in and the arena erupted into the loudest volume it has been this season, Knecht turned toward the sideline while running backwards and shrugging his shoulders, mimicking Michael Jordan’s 1992 NBA Finals celebration.

“Rui (Hachimura) talked to me about having a 3-point party,” Knecht said. “I didn’t know what to do. So I just gave ‘The Shrug.'”

It was that kind of night for the 23-year-old rookie in the Lakers’ 124-118 win over the Jazz on Tuesday. With the win, the Lakers improved to 10-4 this season and 2-0 in NBA Cup group play (and 9-0 all-time in the tournament). Los Angeles has won six games in a row.

Knecht set career highs with 37 points and nine 3-pointers. He finished 12-of-16 from the field (9-of-12 from 3) in a season-high 38 minutes. He did much of his damage in the third quarter, exploding for 21 points (6-of-6 3-point shooting), including 18 in the final 3:29. His 21 points are the most in a quarter by a rookie this season and the fourth most of any player.

His nine 3-pointers tied the NBA rookie record for most 3-pointers in a game and set the new Lakers rookie record. Only three other Lakers players have made at least nine 3s, including Kobe Bryant (four times), LeBron James (twice) and Russell (once).

“I just got into a groove,” Knecht said. “My teammates found me. And they were looking for me every time we got on offense. And then (coach) JJ (Redick) called plays for me. So they made it really easy for me. I just had to get open and get the shot up.”

Knecht has been heating up for a week, starting with last Wednesday’s win over the Memphis Grizzlies when he scored 19 points. He’s posted career highs in three of the last four games (19 points, 27 and now 37), cementing his status as the team’s top shooter and establishing himself as a critical part of the offense.

“We just encourage him to shoot the basketball,” Lakers forward Anthony Davis said. “He can do more than just shoot. But he’s really good at shooting the basketball. We get mad at him when he doesn’t shoot.”

Over the past four games, Knecht is averaging 24.3 points (tied for second on the team with James) while shooting 67.3 percent overall and 67.7 percent on 3-pointers. He makes 5.3 3s per game, a number that would lead the league. The Lakers have outscored opponents by 37 points in his 133 minutes, a team-best mark.

The Lakers have been looking for this type of deadeye movement shooter around James and Davis for years — and appear to have finally found him. Redick joked that whenever he’s in a timeout, his instinct is to make a play after the timeout for Knecht.

Redick has compared Knecht to a goldfish, never remembering the result of his last shot. Knecht expressed a similar sentiment when asked when he knew Tuesday would be a special night for him.

“The first shot,” Knecht said. “Every time I see one go in, I think the next one is always going in. Even if I miss it, I always have confidence that my next shot will go in.”

James, who praised Knecht last season after a Lakers win in Washington, doubled down on his claim that the No. 17 is a special shooter and goalscorer.

“I didn’t think he would fall for us,” James said. “I thought it would be impossible. I have no idea how it happened. But I’m very grateful and I’m very happy that he’s here. I knew exactly what we were getting when he dropped to 17.”

James added that he thinks Knecht’s slide to the Lakers more than anything else is a reflection of how badly the other 16 teams have messed up.

“They didn’t find DK,” James said of the Lakers’ scouting department. “The other 16 teams picked it up. Did anybody see him? S—. They just didn’t pick it up. You don’t ‘find’ an SEC Player of the Year.”

This level of production from Knecht is unlikely to last once Hachimura, who is out with an ankle injury, returns. Knecht has benefited from starting in Hachimura’s place the past three games, as well as a lighter schedule. His shooting numbers are not sustainable. Defenses will definitely scout him harder and make adjustments.

At the same time, it’s hard to see how much of this is flukey. Knecht — a first-team All-American last season at Tennessee — was billed as one of the top shooters and scorers in the 2024 NBA Draft, and he’s lived up to his reputation. There aren’t many players in the league who could have made the shots he made like that. He has taken advantage of the latest opportunity and has earned more minutes and shots going forward, Redick said.

“It’s really just having his spacing, his threat,” Redick said. “He’s got some off-the-bounce things that you can do, but I mentioned before the game that he’s an excellent cutter. He has been great with his offensive rebounding that crashed. So it’s more about him just earning more minutes and more trust, not only with the coaches, but with his teammates. It’s important.”

Whether he continues to start or moves back to the bench when Hachimura returns, Knecht has shown over the past week that he’s a special kind of shooter who can heat up at any time and swing a quarter, a half or even a fight. Given all the internal attention James and Davis command, that type of complementary skill set is invaluable.

“I know he’s capable of doing it,” Austin Reaves said. “And frankly, I expect him to do it several times this year.”

(Photo: Harry How/Getty Images)