Los Angeles Lakers rookie forward Dalton Knecht received an applause from LeBron James after the 23-year-old tied the NBA rookie record with nine 3-pointers during Tuesday night’s 124-118 win over the Utah Jazz.
LeBron James said “16 teams f–ked it up” in the 2024 NBA draft, allowing the Los Angeles Lakers to select Dalton Knecht
Dalton, who the Lakers selected 17th overall in the 2024 NBA draft out of the University of Tennessee–Knoxville, made his third consecutive start with Rui Hachimura sidelined due to an ankle injury.
The 6-foot-6 wing scored 21 of the Lakers’ 40 points in the third quarter against Utah, making all six 3-point attempts. He finished with 37 points on 12-of-16 (75%) shooting from the field and 9-of-12 (75%) from deep.
LeBron James on the Lakers front office drafting Dalton Knecht: “They didn’t find DK … the other 16 teams f—-ed it up” pic.twitter.com/agmO547mnW
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 20, 2024
When reporters asked James how the Lakers’ front office landed Knecht in this year’s draft, he gave a brutally honest response, explaining that it was more about teams picking ahead on the draft board messing up than L.A. finding a hidden gem.
“They didn’t ‘find’ DK,” James said. “The other 16 teams f–ked it up. Did anybody watch him? S–t. They just didn’t f–k it up. You don’t ‘find’ a SEC player of the year.”
Knecht joins Kobe Bryant, LeBron James as the only Lakers players to hit at least nine 3-pointers in a game
Knecht joins Kobe Bryant and James as the only Lakers players to make at least nine 3-pointers in a single game. The NBA Rookie of the Year hype train is now in motion for the Colorado native.
Through 14 games (four starts) of his rookie season, Knecht is averaging 11.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 21.5 minutes per contest while shooting 52.3% from the field, 46.4% from 3-point range, and 92.3% at the free throw line.
Additionally, Knecht has now scored in double figures in four straight games, including 27 or more points in each of the past two. His 11.3 points per game are sixth on the team.
DK ranks 15th in 3-point percentage across the league this season, and he is 19th in 2-point field goal percentage (62.5%), fourth in effective field goal percentage (67%), eighth in true shooting percentage (68.9%), and eighth in offensive rating (133).
The Lakers also improved to 10-4 on the season and 2-0 in NBA Cup play.
