The Los Angeles Lakers clearly landed on a gem when Tennessee sharpshooter Dalton Knecht fell them with the No. 17 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. In the weeks leading up to the draft, Knecht was projected to get picked in the top 10, but concerns about his age and defense dropped him to LeBron James and the Lakers after the lottery.
The early results have been astonishing for Knecht. He is averaging 11.3 points per game on absurd 52.3/46.4/92.3 shooting splits and is coming off of an incredible game in which he scored 37 points on nine 3-pointers, tying an NBA rookie record.