Dalton Knecht Becoming This Year's Version Of Miami Heat's Jaime Jaquez

Shandel Richardson | 19 Hours Ago

Nov 19, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht (4) moves to the basket agianst Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Last year the Miami Heat had the steal of the NBA draft when they grabbed Jaime Jaquez at No. 18.

This year, that honor may belong to the Los Angeles Lakers and guard Dalton Knecht. After being selected at No. 17, he is one of the brightest newcomers this season. It reached a new height when he had a career-high 37 points in Tuesday's victory against the Utah Jazz.

“I just got in a groove,” Knecht said. “My teammates found me, and they were looking for me every time. They made it easy for me. I just had to get open and get the shot up.”

Knecht hit a rookie record nine 3-pointers. At one point, he gave the crowd a shrug of the shoulders after making a basket. It was reminiscent of Michael Jordan in the 1992 NBA Finals when he hit a barrage of 3-pointers against the Portland Trail Blazers.

“Rui (Hachimura) was talking to me about (how) I need to get a 3-point celebration,” Knecht said. “I didn’t know what to do, so I just gave the shrug.”

The Heat were among the 17 teams that had a chance to draft Knecht. Instead, the Heat chose Indiana center Kel'el Ware at No. 15. Knecht is averaging 11.3 points on 52 percent shooting while Ware (2.2 points) is struggling to earn playing time.

Jaquez, who made All-Rookie team last year, is also having problems because of injuries. He's only played nine games due to ankle and illness issues.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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