Lakers select Tennesse’s Dalton Knecht in NBA Draft
Dalton Knecht and NBA commissioner Adam Silver shaking hands after hearing his name called at the draft. Photo credit via Getty Images.
The Lakers took the first steps toward rebuilding their roster under new head coach JJ Redick on Wednesday, selecting Tennesse’s forward Dalton Knecht with the №17 pick.
After getting zero D-1 offers out of high school, Knecht went the community college route to find his opportunity. After a couple of seasons at Northern Colorado, he found his chance under head coach Rick Barnes at the University of Tennessee in his final year of college.
“It's crazy coming from junior college all the way to being drafted by the Lakers. It's a dream come true. All the hard work, staying in the gym with no one watching, paid off,” Knecht said via Spectrum SportsNet.
At Northern Colorado, Knecht averaged 29.1 points per game over the span of 67 games. He started in all 36 games he played for Tennesee last year, averaging 21.7 points per game. He was also the 2024 Julius Erving Award Honoree (top small forward in college) and the 2024 SEC Newcomer of the Year for the Volunteers.
At 6-foot-6-inch, Knecht has the ability to play the wing with a 6-foot-nine-inch wingspan — averaging 4.5 rebounds a game in college — and the shooting guard position with his elite range from three and three-level scoring, shooting 39.7% (6.5 attempts) from behind the arc.
“Hard worker. I’m going to be in the gym every single day. That’s what I do.” Knecht told reporters in New York about what he brings to Los Angeles.
After selecting the Colorado native, Lakers Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka spoke to reporters on the pick, saying the team had Knecht ranked in its top 10 on their scouting boards.
“We would have never imagined a player as skilled and perfect for our needs would be there [at 17].” Pelinka said.
At 23-years-old, Knecht was one of the oldest players selected in the first round of the draft, but Pelinka believes he has plenty of room to grow.
“We think he’s a player who can play on next year’s team and make a real impact. He has a lot of upside left,” Pelinka said. “At every step, he’s improved, and we expect that improvement at the next level as well.”
Pelinka mentioned that Redick had already had his whiteboard out drawing up plays for the rookie, saying the plays were up pin downs, after timeouts (ATOs), and actions for the off-ball screen.
The Lakers now hold the 55th pick in Thursday’s second round of the NBA Draft, starting at 1 p.m. PST.
