The Los Angeles Lakers may have found a future star.
On Tuesday night, rookie Dalton Knecht tied an NBA rookie record with nine three-pointers in a win over the Utah Jazz. The No. 17 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Knecht finished with 37 points on a remarkable 12-of-16 shooting display from the field including 9-of-12 from beyond the arc.
Knecht entered the starting lineup three games ago following an injury to Rui Hachimura. As a starter, Knecht is averaging 26 points on 63.6% from the field and 61.5% from deep. While it is still early in the season, Knecht’s sudden rise is an encouraging sign for the Lakers moving forward. Alongside Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and Austin Reeves, Knecht gives the Lakers four players capable of scoring upwards of 25 points on any given night.
Through 14 games, Knecht is making a lot of teams across the NBA look foolish for passing on him in the draft. At 6-foot-6, Knecht has good size for a wing and his ability to shoot was always going to translate to the NBA. Knecht spent the first two years of his collegiate career at Northern Colorado before transferring to Tennessee for one season.
The sharpshooter averaged 20.2 PPG in his final year at Northern Colorado and he quickly made a name for himself with the Volunteers. In 36 games with the Vols, Knecht averaged 21.7 PPG on 39.7% from three, and led the team to a 2-seed and a trip to the Elite Eight. After dropping 26 points in the Sweet 16 against Creighton, Knecht scored 37 against Purdue in a losing effort.
Knecht’s performance last year earned him All-American honors. Still, 16 players went off the board before Knecht was selected by the Lakers. Pundits concluded that Knecht fell in the draft due to his age — he will be 24 in April. Following Knecht’s performance last night, James spoke with the media about LA’s decision to take Knecht at No. 17.
“They didn’t ‘find’ DK,” James (26 points, 12 assists) said. “The other 16 teams f—ed it up. Did anybody watch him? S—. They just didn’t f— it up. You don’t ‘find’ an SEC player of the year.” James would go on to add, “I did not think he was going to fall to us. I thought it would be impossible. I have no idea how that happened. But I’m very grateful and I’m very happy that he’s here. I knew exactly what we were getting when he fell to 17.”
While Knecht is not expected to remain in the starting lineup for long with Rui Hachimura close to returning, he will be a pivotal member for the Lakers this year and for years to come. With Knecht performing at this level, the Lakers appear capable of contending. At 10-4, the Lakers are 0.5 GB of Oklahoma City and Golden State, respectively, in the Western Conference. First-year coach JJ Redick has displayed confidence in the rookie and noted that Knecht’s impact goes beyond scoring.
“I’m not concerned at all with Dalton in terms of meeting the moment,” said Redick. “He’s fearless. … It’s a real weapon for our group beyond just the score. It’s a weapon that energizes us.” Redick added, “It’s really just having his spacing, his threat. He’s got some off-the-bounce stuff that you can do, but I mentioned before the game, he’s an excellent cutter. He’s been great with his offensive rebound crashing. So it’s more about him just earning more minutes and more trust, not just with the coaches, but with his teammates. That’s important.”
