If the Los Angeles Lakers were to keep their first-round selection in the 2024 NBA Draft, it was anyone’s guess as to who they would be targeting. But the man they got was one no one expected as they took Tennessee wing Dalton Knecht with the 17th overall pick.
Knecht was viewed by most draft prognosticators as a top-10 prospect with no one expecting him to fall out of the lottery. But the draft played out that way and Rob Pelinka and the rest of the Lakers staff was ecstatic to see him available.
Pelinka addressed the media following the Lakers pick, saying that Knecht was a unanimous top-10 player across their scouting department and the franchise never expected him to still be on the board, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“Extremely exciting night for the Los Angeles Lakers. Obviously going into the draft process at the beginning of this, we weren’t sure with the Anthony Davis trade whether our pick would convey to us or actually stay with the Pelicans, so step one in making this pick selection was getting the news that the Pelicans would allow us to keep our pick this year, which of course was 17 and that started the deliberation with scouts and other front office folks. Then onboarding JJ Redick and getting our board right. We would’ve never imagined a player as skilled and sort of perfect for our needs would be there for us as Dalton Knecht. We had him as a top-10 player unanimously across our scouting boards. I was at the SEC Tournament scouting him extensively and in my mind was like there’s no way a player like this can be available for us to pick on draft night. So across the board just couldn’t be happier. I was joking with Coach Redick upstairs that we found a movement shooter to match his skills as a player and he already had his whiteboard up drawing up pindowns and ATOs and actions where he could run a movement shooter off a screen. So I think his kind is already working on drawing up plays for Dalton. So just really, really excited, the draft is an unpredictable process, you never know how it’s gonna go when the night starts. For it to end this way, we couldn’t be more thrilled.”
The excitement is understandable as Knecht is someone who could come in and contribute immediately for the Lakers. He was the SEC Player of the Year and a consensus First Team All-American at Tennessee last year, averaging 21.7 points and 4.9 rebounds while shooting 39.7% from 3-point range on more than six attempts.
Sometimes the draft plays out in a way that is unexpected and that was the case here as Knecht was still available when the Lakers were on the clock. And Pelinka and L.A. quickly moved to make sure he didn’t fall any further.
Lakers pursuing Dwane Casey & Jacque Vaughn for coaching staff
The staff who will play a large role in Dalton Knecht’s development is still being put together, but names are emerging, especially in terms of the former coaches the team is targeting.
A recent report named former Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons coach Dwane Casey as someone the Lakers are targeting, as well as former Orlando Magic and Brooklyn Nets coach Jacque Vaughn.
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