Dalton Knecht‘s recent explosion on the Lakers has fans wondering why he fell to 17th in the 2024 NBA Draft. And Knecht himself wonders the same thing. Speaking to reporters, Knecht admitted he was surprised about falling so low after a successful college stint, but was glad he got to share the court with LeBron James on the Lakers.
“I would say a little bit. I did what I did in college, lot of people said I was the best player. When I did fall, it was alright because I landed in a great spot. I got to play with LeBron [James]. Who else can say that? And then also AD [Anthony Davis]. I went to a great franchise, so, very blessed to be here.”
Knecht wasn’t the only player who was shocked at how low he fell. LeBron James spoke yesterday after his incredible performance, claiming he knew just how good Knecht was, and claimed that the Lakers got very lucky that other teams missed the chance to draft such a talented player.
Knecht fell to 17th in what many considered a shock, as Knecht was one of the best scorers in college basketball while playing for the University of Tennessee. Upon drafting him, many in the Lakers’ fanbase were optimistic, with some even claiming they had gotten a steal.
Since joining the Lakers, Knecht has done nothing but reward the optimism and support of the fans with great performances. He has been a revelation on the Lakers, and has already found himself part of the starting lineup, and arguably the best shooter on the entire team.
Knecht was selected with the 17th overall pick by the Lakers, right after the 76ers picked up Jarred McCain. It is still early, but it is rare to see two mid-first-round picks leading the race for the Rookie of the Year award.
JJ Redick Speaks On Lakers Picking Dalton Knecht
Head coach JJ Redick also spoke about Dalton Knecht, specifically about the process of drafting him. He noted that the Lakers didn’t expect him to fall so low, and he has been impressed with how quickly Knecht has earned his way into the rotation, and earned the trust of the entire team.
“Some of the picks in our range, on our board, went earlier. It made decisions easier… Dalton just remained unpicked and unselected. When Philly took McCain, it was like ‘Alright, we’re taking Dalton’. We were obviously very excited. For us, we certainly want to continue to develop our young guys, and place an emphasis on that.”
“But getting a guy with the 17th pick and playing right away with our group is huge. I don’t think any of us have to tell him to shoot the ball. He’s unflappable in that. He has a real high level of confidence in his shooting and scoring ability.”
“And in some ways, he’s like a goldfish. He’s able to just move on. He could be 1-8 but he has confidence that the next shot is going in, which, every great shooter does. We have that same level of confidence in him. For AD, Bron, our guys all trust him. As a coaching staff, we trust him as well as a shooter.”
Knecht had a monster game against the Utah Jazz two nights ago, when he put up 39 points (12-16 FG), with five rebounds, and one assist. He made 9 three-pointers, tying the record for the most three-pointers made by a rookie in a single game.
The Lakers will be thrilled with Knecht, as he has helped address one of their big weakness over the last few years. Since they lost Malik Monk in 2022, the Lakers have not had a reliable three-point shooter, and have been one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the league.
Knecht has become a regular starter in the absence of Rui Hachimura. But his excellent performances have given JJ Redick enough reason to keep him as a starter going forward.
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