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Lakers’ Dalton Knecht Making Early Rookie of the Year Case
Mathew is an avid sports fan who loves basketball. He has a soft spot for Denver sports in particular and has been involved with sports writing for close to 7 years now. He likes to utilize both statistics and a blend of the eye test when analyzing the games he loves. Mathew also dabbles with sports betting and loves helping people win money.
All posts by Mathew HuffUpdated12 hours ago on November 22, 2024
Dalton Knecht of the Los Angeles Lakers is already leaving his mark. In the Lakers’ most recent victory over the Utah Jazz, the rookie marksman made NBA history. Knecht added to his early Rookie of the Year case by becoming one of only four rookies in league history to drain nine three-point shots in a game. The other three players to accomplish this feat were Keyonte George of the Utah Jazz in 2024, Yogi Ferrell of the Dallas Mavericks in 2017, and Rodrigue Beaubois of the Dallas Mavericks in 2010. Dalton Knecht is already looking like the steal of this season’s rookie class.
In the game against Utah, he was 9/12 from three-point territory and had a stretch where he poured in 22 consecutive points. This helped the rookie earn a career-high 37 points and solidify the victory over the Jazz. He appears to be a perfect player for head coach, J.J. Redick, and company. Time will tell if Knecht can continue this scorching production, but for now, the Los Angeles Lakers appear to have found a perfect role player to play alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. He still has a terrific opportunity to potentially win Rookie of the Year and earn more minutes going forward.
Dalton Knecht Already Making Significant Impact for Los Angeles Lakers
His Rookie of the Year Chances
So far this season, the former SEC Player of the Year has logged numbers of 11.3 points per game, a three-point shooting percentage of 46.4 percent, and a field goal percentage of 52.3 percent in 21.5 minutes played per game. He has been a great spark plug off the bench for Los Angeles but has also started in four different matchups this year. The past five games are where Dalton Knecht has really shined. In the past five matchups, the six-foot-six small forward is averaging 20.4 points, 3.6 total rebounds per game, and is shooting an astounding 66.7 percent from beyond the arc.
Knecht is also tallying a true shooting percentage of 86.3 percent over this stretch. While Philadelphia 76ers rookie, Jared McCain, is also making a case for Rookie of the Year, one has to remember that Philadelphia is dealing injuries and that his minutes will most likely decrease once their stars come back. As for Dalton Knecht, his chances to win the award improve night after night. If he continues to progress at the rate that we have seen in the past five games, then the Rookie of the Year award is his to lose this season.
