Dalton Knecht’s 37-point flurry in the Lakers’ win over Utah Jazz on Tuesday night has propelled him to the top of the NBA Rookie of the Year odds market.
Dalton Knecht Equals Record For Most Threes By a Rookie vs Utah Jazz
The LA Lakers stretched their winning run to 7-0 at home after breezing past Jazz 124-118 on Tuesday night.
On an evening where the old guard put up big numbers – namely LeBron James with 26 points and 12 assists, and Anthony Davis with 26 points and 14 rebounds – it was rookie Dalton Knecht who stole the limelight.
Six of his nine record-tying threes came in a third-quarter barrage as the No. 17 pick put up 21 points on his way to registering 37 overall and five rebounds.
After draining four consecutive triples in a two-minute span, Knecht’s supreme confidence was clear to see as he hit the infamous ‘MJ Shrug’ before shaking his shooting arm, as if it were too hot to handle.
Few would have predicted Knecht’s meteoric rise to stardom after being drafted from Tennessee, although the former SEC Player of the Year arrived in LA with much promise.
November has been a breakout month for the North Dakota native, setting new career highs on three occasions in the space of six days.
Sit back and enjoy 81 seconds of rookie Dalton Knecht being the hottest shooter alive
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) November 20, 2024
NBA Rookie of the Year Odds
- Jared McCain +160
- Dalton Knecht +250
- Zaccharie Risache +1000
- Carlton Carrington +1100
- Zach Edey +1500
Knecht is averaging 11.3 points, shooting 43% from three and has a PM of +4.4.
The Lakers have undoubtedly struck gold in the draft once again, and Knecht has been heralded by his veteran teammates.
“Anytime he makes a shot, it gives us a spark,” Anthony Davis said after the victory over Jazz.
“Obviously it’s always better when he’s at home, the crowd can get into it but he was phenomenal tonight…When you hot like that, 7-9, I think, from three, man, he’s special to watch.”
“It’s special to watch,” LeBron James. “It’s fun. I mean…when a guy gets hot like that, you feel like you could just throw anything into the ocean it’s going in for sure. DK got it going.”
Although Philadelphia’s Jared McCain still leads the Rookie of the Year odds according to NBA sportsbooks, Knecht’s latest display is evidence enough of his credentials in the race for the award, and his price has dropped considerably overnight.
Who Was the Last LA Laker to Win Rookie of the Year?
Technically, no LA Laker has ever won the Rookie of the Year Award.
That is somewhat of a misnomer, however, given Elgin Baylor clinched the honor when the franchise was still named the Minneapolis Lakers.
Such is the lack of history in this category for the franchise that Baylor’s win in 1959 remains the only time a Laker has been named Rookie of the Year.
This is an eyebrow-raising statistic given the perpetual talent mill that the Lakers have cultivated down the years.
Perhaps Knecht is primed and ready to finally join Baylor in Lakers folklore; his 37-point performance on Tuesday was the eighth most points a Lakers rookie has ever scored.
The last Lakers rookie to achieve that feat was Kyle Kuzma in 2018.
