Dalton Knecht looking like Lakers draft steal — and why LeBron James is loving it

A new Hollywood star is being born for the Lakers. Dalton Knecht torched the Jazz for 37 points on Tuesday night, tying a rookie record with nine 3-pointers in the Lakers’ 124-118 win over the Jazz. LeBron James took a victory lap to the celebrate the victory, given that Knecht bizarrely fell to Los Angeles with the 17th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. “They didn’t find DK — the other 16 teams f–ked up,” James told reporters after the game with a big smile on his face. “Did anyone watch him? They just f–ked up.” Knecht scored 21 points in the third quarter, including 18 straight Laker points while James celebrated on the sideline. While it was the second-round selection of Bronny James that drew most of the attention, it is Knecht that has made the impact on the court. Knecht, who is averaging 11 points per game and shooting 46 percent from 3, falling that far down was a surprise on draft night, as the Tennessee product was rated No. 7 on the NBA Draft big board. The rookie’s emergence has allowed first-year coach JJ Redick to move D’Angelo Russell to the bench in favor of a lineup that features Knecht, James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves and a mix of Cam Reddish and Rui Hachimura. The breaking point with Russell came Nov. 6 in a 131-114 loss to the Grizzlies after a series of troubling plays on both ends of the floor, leading to Redick slamming his chair on the sideline and calling timeout. Russell was removed from the starting lineup, where he has played a bit better running the second unit. “At times, he’s been really good with [his level of compete and attention to details], at other times [he’s] just reverting back to certain habits,” Redick said after the game. The Lakers were 4-4 after Redick’s sideline outburst but have since won six straight games. The Lakers face the Magic on Thursday before a Saturday night matchup against the Nuggets, who eliminated Los Angeles from the playoffs last season.