Dalton Knecht was the biggest steal of the 2024 NBA Draft, and the Los Angeles Lakers are actually making out like bandits.
In his fourth career start, the point guard dropped 37 points on 12-of-16 shooting (9-of-12 from deep) with five rebounds and zero turnovers Tuesday in a 124-118 victory over the Utah Jazz. His nine 3-pointers tied an NBA single-game rookie record, tying similar nights by Keyonte George, Yogi Ferrell and Rodrigue Beaubois.
Notably, those three rookies posted their historic performances in February or March, after several months of preparation. Knecht debuted in the NBA less than a month ago.
That performance included a streak of 18 straight points scored for the Lakers. He, of course, arrived at the Crypto.com Arena with Michael Jordan’s shrug after one of those three-pointers.
You would be forgiven if your Lakers preseason coverage led you to believe that Bronny James was the Lakers’ most important rookie, but Knecht was, and certainly remains, the most important pillar for the team’s future.
He really should have never 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% three-point shooting, but his age at 23 could have discouraged the teams. It’s easy to believe that a teenager can become a star, even less so for a kid two years after his first legal drink.
The Lakers didn’t have as many concerns about potential, they just wanted a player to 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 ranked 24th in the NBA in three-pointers made. And because the cap-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 scored 37 points.