Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I think my eyes still hurt when I watch the Celtics on their aggressively green field.

In today’s SI:AM:

🏀 Cavs are confident even when defeated
🔥Jets burn it down again
👋 Time for Rodgers to pack it in

No team in the NBA radiates as much star power as the Los Angeles Lakers. The most famous people in America’s most celebrity-obsessed city have enjoyed courtyard views of Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James for decades. But the biggest star in LA Tuesday night was Dalton Knecht.

Knecht erupted for 37 points on 12-for-16 shooting (9-for-12 from three) in the Lakers’ 124-118 win over the Utah Jazz. His nine threes tied an NBA record for most in a game by a rookie and tied for the second most in a game in Lakers history. (Bryant holds the record with 12.) He is also the first Lakers rookie since Kyle Kuzma in 2017 to score at least 35 points in a game.

It was great to see Knecht’s confidence grow throughout the match. His first few threes were simple catch-and-shoots on kickout passes as Utah’s defense collapsed on the Lakers’ more notable players. But toward the end of the game, the Jazz made Knecht more of a defensive priority. Unfazed, Knecht did not hesitate to advance from further afield. He even launched a few off the dribble.

When Knecht sank his seventh three of the night, he responded with a Michael Jordan-esque shrug that felt less like a taunt and more like a genuine display of disbelief.

‘You can’t leave him behind’ said Anthony Davis. “There’s a lot of sets we can run and things we can do … to give him a chance or make guys think he’s getting close. And now that kind of ruins their defensive rotation. But that always helps when you have shooters around. Me and Bron play in the post. Now you get that 1-on-1. It’s hard to double a team.”

The Lakers selected Knecht 17th overall in this year’s draft after he won the SEC Player of the Year award last season at Tennessee. His impressive senior season, in which he led the conference in scoring, could make Knecht sound like a can’t-miss draft prospect. James certainly thinks so, Say Tuesday evening that “the other 16 teams (who passed on Knecht’s draft) made it up.” But Knecht isn’t your typical NBA rookie. He was one of only three fifth-year seniors selected in the first round of this year’s draft (along with Terrence Shannon Jr. and Baylor Scheierman) and played just one season of major college basketball. He was only 6 feet tall when he graduated high school and began his college career at Northeastern Junior College. He then played two seasons at Northern Colorado in the Big Sky Conference before he finished his college career at Tennessee.

Knecht did not see much playing time during his first few weeks as a pro, averaging 6.1 points in 16.9 minutes per game in his first 10 games. (He did, however, show he was capable of the kind of scoring drive he had on Tuesday. He had 18 points in the fourth quarter of a blowout loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Oct. 30.) He has played a much bigger role. roll lately, though, averaging 24.3 points in 33 minutes per game over his last four. He has also started the Lakers’ last three games following an injury to Rui Hachimura.

If there’s one thing you can never have too much of in today’s NBA, it’s three-point shooting. As Davis explained, having dangerous shooters around the perimeter makes it easier for guys like him and James to get good looks closer to the basket. The Lakers are still James and Davis’ team, but having a sharpshooter like Knecht unlocks all kinds of options for their offense.

…things I saw last night:

5. Chris Paul’s cool three-pointer late in the Spurs’ win over the Thunder.
4. Leon Draisaitl is precise five hole finish.
3. Tre Mann’s powerful dunk about Noah Clowney.
2. Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard beautiful stick handling on this target.
1. Keldon Johnson’s crossover causing Aaron Wiggins to fall to the ground.