In April, Dalton Knecht woke up to a flood of text messages and a call from his parents, all urging him to check out a video featuring LeBron James. Initially sceptical, Knecht couldn’t believe that James had mentioned him.
“I thought it was fake,” Knecht admitted on Wednesday at Barclays Center.
James had briefly mentioned Knecht’s name in a discussion about the popularity of the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments, which ESPN’s Dave McMenamin had posted. The NBA superstar said he watched Tennessee’s game against Purdue “because of Zach Edey and Knecht.”
Fast forward to now, and Knecht and James are set to become teammates—assuming James re-signs with the Lakers this offseason. The Lakers selected Knecht, a 23-year-old wing, with the No. 17 pick in the draft.
“This is going to be special,” Knecht said. “And it’s going to be fun to be sharing that court with both of ’em, AD and Bron.”
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, speaking to reporters in Los Angeles, expressed his amazement at the team’s good fortune.
“We would’ve never imagined a player as skilled and sort of perfect for our needs would be there for us as Dalton Knecht,” Pelinka said, via The Athletic’s Jovan Buha. “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 could be available for us to pick on draft night.'”
Knecht, the oldest player selected in the first round, had been projected by ESPN, CBS Sports, and other outlets to be drafted in the top six. While that would have been unusually high for a prospect his age, Knecht was one of the best scorers in college basketball this past season—a testament to the unique nature of this draft.
Knecht excelled as a movement shooter at Tennessee, running off numerous screens and displaying an excellent ability to read defenses, find open spaces, and get into his shot. He made 42.3% of his catch-and-shoot threes, per Synergy Sports, and 40.3% of contested catch-and-shoot threes, which accounted for over two-thirds of his attempts.
Pelinka mentioned that new coach JJ Redick was already planning plays for Knecht. “Drawing up pin downs and ATOs and actions where he could run a movement shooter off screens,” Pelinka shared. Upon hearing this, Knecht was thrilled. “That’s really exciting. At Tennessee, I watched a lot of JJ Redick with Coach [Rick] Barnes, and just the way he moves and paces himself and was able to create space. So hearing that is really exciting, and it’s going to be real special.”
Knecht’s fit within Redick’s system and alongside James is seen as ideal. Redick aims to diversify the Lakers’ offence by using Anthony Davis as a handoff hub, while James has thrived with elite shooters throughout his career. Addressing the Lakers’ longstanding spacing issues, Redick—a historically great shooter, particularly on the move—plans to modernize their offence.
“I was joking with Coach Redick upstairs that we found a movement shooter to match his skills as a player,” Pelinka told reporters. He added, per Spectrum SportsNet’s Mark Medina, that the Lakers see Knecht as a 3-and-D player.
If Knecht can develop into a solid defender in the NBA, Pelinka’s enthusiasm will be justified. Knecht, who measured 6-foot-5 without shoes with a 6-foot-9 wingspan and weighed in at 212 pounds, has the physical tools but wasn’t a standout defender in college. He acknowledged the challenges ahead but is optimistic about the support from James and Davis.
Dalton Knecht reflected on his journey, often feeling underrated, and is eager to prove his worth on the NBA stage alongside his new superstar teammates
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