The Los Angeles Lakers had a big win on Night 1 of the 2024 NBA Draft as they picked up Dalton Knecht coming out of Tennessee with the No. 17 pick.

Knecht is a 23-year-old NCAA veteran who’s coming into the NBA as a win-now prospect. His physical comparison matches that of Klay Thompson when he entered the Draft in 2011.

Knecht is entering the NBA two years older than Klay did. While Thompson is half an inch taller than Knecht, they both have an identical 6’9″ wingspan with Knecht weighing six pounds more than rookie Klay did.

Klay averaged 17.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists while shooting 39.0% from three in three seasons with Washington State. Knecht is coming off an incredible year for the Tennessee Volunteers, averaging 21.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists on 45.8% shooting, including 39.7% from deep in his final year in college and winning SEC Player of the Year.

The Lakers know they have gotten a huge bargain with Knecht at No. 17, with the player presumably falling down the draft board because of his age. He is arguably better as a player right now than many of the players who went ahead of him, with teams betting on their potential.

Fans could see the reactions of the Lakers executives and coaches in their Draft war room, with everyone looking really excited about the selection. New head coach JJ Redick reportedly started drawing up plays for Knecht from the moment they drafted him.

Knecht has all the makings of a proficient NBA scorer, having the size and shooting touch to make sure his skill set translates over from the NCAA. There’ll be questions over his defensive development, especially at the NBA level. He has all the tools to be a decent NBA-level defender, though we have only seen flashes of strong defense from Knecht over the last few seasons.

His self-shot creation will be a question at the NBA level, but he should be an ideal fit in a Lakers offense where most of the defensive attention will be on LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

How Did Dalton Knecht Fall To No. 17?
Rob Pelinka revealed that Knecht was a top-10 prospect on the Lakers’ draft board, which makes getting him at 17 a huge success.

“We’d have never imagined a player as skilled and sorta perfect for our needs was there for us (at pick 17) … we had him as a Top 10 player unanimously on our scouting boards.”

Veteran NBA writer and commentator David Aldridge was stunned at Knecht’s fall through the Draft boards.

“I don’t get this. I know he’s 23. But Dalton Knecht had a top-10 grade for the last two months. I can’t believe the Lakers got the SEC’s leading scorer and Player of the Year at 17. That kid can play.”

Knecht was a top-10 prospect in most pre-draft mock boards, with ESPN ranking him as highly as No. 6 to the Charlotte Hornets. Instead, he was available 11 picks later for the Lakers and should be a hand-in-glove fit for the organization desperately needing shooters.

Knecht’s draft fall has concerned some fans, who are wondering if other teams made the right call. There is a legitimate question about Knecht’s development ceiling. He might not have a lot of growth left in his game, but his fundamentals being as solid as they are could lead him to have a more profound impact on the court.

The Lakers developed Alex Caruso and Austin Reaves as guards who were older than their Draft peers, but Knecht comes in as a more polished starting product. They should be excited about what he can achieve on their squad, especially after going through the Lakers’ proven development channels.

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