Lakers Dalton Knecht Ties NBA Rookie 3 Pointer Record; Sets Rookie Scoring Record
There goes that man again! The purple and gold’s rookie has been showing signs of greatness, but tonight he just blew the dam wide open. On Tuesday night against the Jazz, the Lakers Dalton Knecht ties a NBA rookie 3 pointer record while also setting a rookie scoring record.
It almost feels like an understatement to say Knecht was on fire. He put on a show, knocking in shot after shot from deep. And he made it all look so effortless and easy.
In front of a sold out crowd that included Los Angeles Dodger Mookie Betts and his wife; Dalton tied a record. He made not just one 3, but he shot and made 9 of those babies. He had the crowd screaming like it was a playoff game. Just pure electric energy.
Nonetheless, Dalton Knecht’s 9 triples tonight ties a record for 3-pointers in a game for a rookie (3 different players). He is the first rookie with 35+ PTS, 0 TOV and 75+ FG% since Blake Griffin. And if you are wondering, yes, this is also a Lakers rookie record. But that’s not the only stats that made Knecht elite tonight. Dalton also scored 22 consecutive points for LA and dropped 21 points in the 3rd quarter.
Also, Knecht is already circling around some great company. If you crack open the basketball history books to see which Lakers rookies shot the most points in game (since 1960-61); some interesting names come to the fore. We’re talking Jerry West (38 points); Kyle Kuzma (38 points) and D’Angelo Russell (39 points).
For reference, Dalton put up 37 on Tuesday night against the Jazz. Additionally, West and Russell hit their big point games later in their respective rookie seasons, in February and March. Kuzma put up his 38 in December of his rookie season. People, it’s November. And Knecht is already playing this well, let that sink in.
Crazy. Seriously, as the game progressed, you stopped thinking you were watching a rookie, but an athlete that’s confident, fearless and ready for the league. If Knecht keeps this up, we’re definitely in for a real treat as we watch his career unfold. But to sum up the night one more time for KNECHT 4,
- 37 PTS (career high)
- 9 3PM (ties rookie record)
- Scored 22 straight for LA
- 21 PTS in 3rd quarter (18pts in 3 minutes)
- Had 6 threes in the 3Q
- Lakers 6th-straight win
Lakers Dalton Knecht Ties NBA Rookie 3 Pointer Record; Most in Single Game
Nevertheless, what is also exciting is that a big dilemma for the Lakers seems to be slowly disappearing. One of the issues that Los Angeles has been needing to fix and address has been becoming more of a threat from deep offensively. The 3 point shot has been lacking. However, you can see that head coach JJ Redick has been tackling this problem and tackling it well.
As a player, Redick had been very consistent and successful with 3-pointers. So he would be the perfect individual to help the franchise improve in this regard. Therefore, him being named and selected as the Lakers’ HC is already paying dividends. It began with the draft. Pelinka and JJ grabbing up Dalton when 16 other teams passed; then JJ drilling into the team to not just shoot 3’s in practice but to do so in game. And now we see the fruits of the labor with Dalton being a 3-point weapon and adding an extra spark to an already very talented team.
So the Lakers are looking real good in terms of the NBA Cup, and for the regular season. Improving to a record of 10-4. Los Angeles will next play the Magic on Thursday.
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