Dalton Knecht’s Draft Slide a Big Win for Lakers
The odds weren’t great for the Los Angeles Lakers to find an NBA-ready contributor with the No. 17 pick of the 2024 draft. However, the basketball gods seemingly made it happen, with Tennessee sharpshooter Dalton Knecht slipping all the way to No. 17.
Knecht, who was a lottery fixture throughout mock-draft season, slipped due to concerns about his age—he turned 23 on April 19. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reported that it was Knecht’s age, not concerns about his medicals or other reasons, that caused his slide.
There are too many layers to Knecht’s game to label him as a shooting specialist. Threes didn’t power him alone to averaging 21.7 points and earning SEC Player of the Year honors this past season. He has the handles to free himself, the vision and feel to run pick-and-rolls, the processing skills to spot open teammates, and the athleticism to finish at the rim.
New Lakers coach JJ Redick has stressed the importance of improving the spacing and is a huge fan of this pick, according to ESPN’s Givony.
Assuming James stays put, the Lakers will find themselves in an extreme win-right-now window. Few rookies would have a chance to help with that, but Knecht might be the most NBA-ready prospect in this class. If nothing else, his three-point touch and off-ball movement will play right away.
Even if the Lakers were entertaining the idea of chasing a third star, selecting Knecht shouldn’t call that off. The Lakers need to maximize the value of every move they make this summer. Nabbing Knecht at No. 17 and scoring the draft’s biggest steal was a great start. The Lakers can thank all of the age-obsessed teams selecting in front of them for that.
