Five things to know about Dalton Knecht, the Lakers' No. 17 draft pick (2024)

While the Lakers were a decent eighth in 3-point shooting percentage this regular season, they were 28th in 3-point attempts. Furthermore, they were 15th in both categories out of the 16 teams that made it to the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

They need at least one additional player who can not only make it rain from downtown but is also a high-volume 3-point shooter. Knecht seems to check both boxes.

In three seasons of Division I college basketball, he made 38.3% of his 3-point attempts, and he was at 39.7% on 6.5 attempts a game this season for the University of Tennessee. He seems to have the ability to not only hit open treys but also contested treys, which is one sign of a very good or great shooter.

New Lakers head coach JJ Redick made a living in the NBA for 15 seasons as a player by getting open off of certain actions and hitting treys off of passes from a teammate.

In Knecht, Los Angeles may have someone who could very well be something of a Redick clone.

He isn’t just a spot-up shooter or one who can hit 3s off the dribble — he’s a terrific 3-point shooter off of movement without the ball. He is capable of being utilized in different types of actions, then canning treys once the ball gets to him.

He seems to be capable of instantly spreading the floor and creating space for LeBron James and Anthony Davis to do their thing in the paint while giving L.A. another option in its halfcourt offense.

When the Lakers have done well in James’ six seasons with them, they have played up-tempo basketball and, at the very least, looked for early offense, if not true fast-break opportunities.

Knecht may not look super athletic, and he isn’t the quickest or most explosive man off the dribble in terms of getting a step ahead of his primary defender. But he recorded a 39-inch vertical leap at the draft combine, and he has displayed his hops at times while in college.

He is someone who finishes strong at the rim, and he is capable of putting defenders on a poster, especially in transition.

There are plenty of guys who are good or great 3-point shooters who also finish strong in transition but are limited in their overall ability to score.

That doesn’t seem to be true about Knecht.

He averaged 21.7 points a game this past season for the University of Tennessee after putting up 20.2 points per game the previous year at the University of Northern Colorado. He tends to make over half of his 2-point attempts, and in addition to his 3-point shooting ability, he does a good job of attacking closeouts, and he also seems to have the potential to score from the mid-range area.

This past season, Knecht also attempted 5.7 free throws a game. He made a good-but-not-great 77.2% of those attempts, but perhaps that can significantly improve with plenty of consistent work.

On the year, he scored 35 points six times in 36 games, including a 37-point effort versus Purdue University in the NCAA tournament.

Heading into Wednesday, some had Knecht tabbed as a lottery pick or even a top-10 pick. The Lakers are lucky he fell to them at No. 17, but they also deserve credit for not overthinking this pick.

Last year, they took Hood-Schifino at No. 17, and plenty of fans have declared him a bust, although he could still develop into a useful player.

But while Hood-Schifino played only one year of college ball, Knecht has three years of Division I college ball under his belt, as well as two additional years of junior college ball. At age 23, some may feel he has no upside, but the flip side of that is that he could be one of the most NBA-ready draft prospects this year.

While Knecht’s floor may be as a Redick clone, or even a poor man’s version of Redick, some, including NBA draft expert Jonathan Givony, feel his ceiling could be Klay Thompson.

Knecht has the ability to help the Lakers not only right now but also down the road after James leaves or retires.