Los Angeles Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht just had his best game as a pro, recording 37 points against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night.
It was an outstanding effort from the former Tennessee star, who was also 9-of-12 on 3-pointers during the win over the Jazz in NBA Cup play. That tied a league record for most 3-pointers ever made by a rookie, which is no small accomplishment.
When asked about how the Lakers were able to find Knecht, it didn’t take long for LeBron James to admit exactly what happened. Los Angeles didn’t exactly “discover” some secret talent with Knecht.
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
Instead, according to LeBron, the other 16 teams that did not pick him in the 2024 NBA Draft “[expletive] it up” and he then wondered if any of the talent evaluators and decision makers watched him play.
Knecht, who was named SEC Player of the Year and won the Julius Erving Award for the best small forward in the nation, was simply available when the Lakers were on the clock.
That serendipity worked out perfectly for Los Angeles, who now have a 23-year-old sharpshooter ready to inject life into a team coached by JJ Redick.
