Dalton Knecht was the biggest steal of the 2024 NBA Draft, and the Los Angeles Lakers indeed kiss like bandits.

In his fourth career start, the guard dropped 37 points on 12-for-16 shooting (9-for-12 from deep) with five rebounds and zero turnovers in a 124-118 win over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday. His nine 3-pointers tied an NBA rookie record in a single game, matching similar nights by Keyonte George, Yogi Ferrell and Rodrigue Beaubois.

It is striking that all three rookies achieved their historic performances in February or March, after several months of seasoning. Knecht made his NBA debut less than a month ago.

That performance included a streak of 18 consecutive points scored for the Lakers. He, of course, hit Crypto.com Arena with Michael Jordan’s shrug after one of those three-pointers.

You’d be forgiven if the Lakers’ preseason coverage led you to believe that Bronny James was the Lakers’ most important rookie, but Knecht certainly was and still is the bigger building block for the team’s future.

He should never have come to Los Angeles, but that’s how the design turned out. Knecht was widely expected to be a top 10 pick after a breakout season at Tennessee in which he showed scoring prowess at the next level, especially with his 39.7% three-point shooting, but his age at 23 might have given teams can deter. It’s easy to believe that a teenager can become a star, less so for someone two years after their first legal drink.

The Lakers weren’t worried about their potential, they just wanted a player who would make them better this season.

Knecht was a perfect fit for a team that always needed more shots around LeBron James, but especially after a year in which they ranked 24th in the NBA in three-pointers made. And with the Lakers short on cap space unable to add impact players through free agency or trades, Knecht was their biggest offseason addition in terms of players.

So it’s a very good sign for the Lakers that the guy they drafted to make an immediate impact as a shooter just shot his way to 37 points.