SI:AM | Lakers Rookie Dalton Knecht Erupts for Historic Shooting Night

He’s getting more playing time and making the most of the opportunity.

Knecht has been a surprising shooting presence for L.A. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I think my eyes are still hurting from watching the Celtics on their aggressively green court.

In today’s SI:AM:

🏀 Cavs confident, even in defeat
🔥Jets burn it down again
👋 Time for Rodgers to pack it up

He was on fire

No team in the NBA oozes star power like the Los Angeles Lakers. The most famous people in America’s most celebrity-obsessed city have spent decades enjoying courtside views of Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. But the biggest star in L.A. on Tuesday night was Dalton Knecht.

Knecht erupted for 37 points on 12-of-16 shooting (9-of-12 from three) in the Lakers' 124–118 win over the Utah Jazz. His nine threes tied an NBA record for the most in a game by a rookie and were tied for the second most in a game in Lakers history. (Bryant holds the record with 12.) He’s also the first Lakers rookie since Kyle Kuzma in 2017 to score at least 35 points in a game.

It was amazing to see how Knecht’s confidence grew throughout the game. His first couple of threes were simple catch-and-shoots on kick-out passes when the Utah defense collapsed on the Lakers’ more notable players. But by the end of the game, the Jazz made Knecht more of a defensive priority. Unfazed, Knecht didn’t hesitate to pull up from farther away. He even launched a couple off the dribble.

When Knecht sank his seventh three of the night, he reacted with a Michael Jordan-esque shrug that felt less like a taunt and more like a genuine display of disbelief.

KNECHT HITS THE MJ SHRUG AFTER HIS 7TH TRIPLE 🔥🤷‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/CK7IOCyQVf

— NBA TV (@NBATV) November 20, 2024

“You can’t leave him,” Anthony Davis said. “There’s a lot of sets that we can run and things that we can run … either to get him a shot or make guys think that he’s coming up in the shot. And now that kind of messes up their defensive rotation. But that always helps when you got shooters around. Me and Bron play in the post. Now you get that 1-on-1. It’s hard to double team.”

The Lakers took Knecht with the 17th pick in this year’s draft after he won the SEC Player of the Year award at Tennessee last season. His impressive senior season, in which he led the conference in scoring, might make Knecht sound like a can’t-miss draft prospect. James certainly thinks so, saying Tuesday night that “the other 16 teams [who passed on drafting Knecht] f---ed it up.” But Knecht isn’t your typical NBA rookie. He was one of only three fifth-year seniors selected in the first round of this year’s draft (along with Terrence Shannon Jr. and Baylor Scheierman) and only played one season of major college basketball. He stood just 6'1" when he graduated high school and began his college career at Northeastern Junior College. He then played two seasons at Northern Colorado in the Big Sky Conference before finishing his college career at Tennessee.

Knecht didn’t see much playing time during his first few weeks as a pro, averaging 6.1 points in 16.9 minutes per game in his first 10 contests. (He did, however, show that he was capable of the kind of scoring outburst he had on Tuesday. He had 18 points in the fourth quarter of a blowout loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Oct. 30.) He has played a much bigger role of late, though, averaging 24.3 points in 33 minutes per game over his last four. He has also started the Lakers’ last three games, following an injury to Rui Hachimura.

If there’s one thing you can never have too much of in today’s NBA it’s three-point shooting. As Davis explained, having dangerous shooters positioned around the perimeter makes it easier for guys like him and James to get good looks closer to the basket. The Lakers are still James and Davis’s team, but having a sharpshooter like Knecht unlocks all kinds of options for their offense.

The Jets’ future appears bleak. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

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The top five …

… things I saw last night:

5. Chris Paul’s tough three-pointer late in the Spurs’ win over the Thunder.
4. Leon Draisaitl’s precise five-hole finish.
3. Tre Mann’s powerful dunk on Noah Clowney.
2. Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard’s beautiful stick-handling on this goal.
1. Keldon Johnson’s crossover that put Aaron Wiggins on the floor.