There was a lot of talk about what the Los Angeles Lakers would do with the No. 17 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft over the last few weeks.
Would they trade it, possibly along with additional trade capital, to land a third star? Would they trade it in order to secure a higher pick in this year’s draft? Or would they keep it?
Of course, there was also plenty of talk about who they could take at No. 17 if they ended up keeping the pick.
That pick remained in L.A.’s possession, and they used it on Dalton Knecht, a wing out of the University of Tennessee.
Knecht stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 213 pounds, and he is a natural outside shooter, something the Lakers need more of. In three years of Division I college basketball, he showed steady improvement with his 3-point accuracy.
After high school, the Colorado native (he was born in North Dakota) spent two years at Northeastern Junior College in Colorado. He then moved on to the University of Northern Colorado before transferring to the University of Tennessee for the 2023-24 season.
He’s a natural scorer, and he won the SEC Player of the Year award for this season.
With the 17th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the Lakers select Dalton Knecht, a sharpshooting, 6'5'' wing who played 1 season at Tennessee, averaging 21.7 points (39.7% from 3) as a junior, after two seasons at Northern Colorado.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) June 27, 2024
Dalton Knecht on ESPN, on his game: "Hard worker. I'm going to be in the gym every single day. That's what I do."
Knecht in college:
Freshman (UNCO): 8.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 36.1% 3's, 24.1 mpg
Soph (UNCO): 20.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 38.1% 3's, 35.3 mpg
Junior (TENN): 21.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 39.7%…— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) June 27, 2024
Knecht is also rather athletic, and at the draft combine, he showed off his impressive leaping ability.
39-inch vertical leap for Dalton Knecht. Third-highest figure at the NBA Draft Combine thus far. pic.twitter.com/2kpWUuGNXq
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 13, 2024
He isn’t a good defender, but scouts feel he has the raw tools to excel enough in that category if the will and desire to do so are there.
