Following months of assessment and speculations, the Los Angeles Lakers have finally made their decision. With their 17 pick in tonight’s draft, Rob Pelinka picked 23-year-old Dalton Knecht from the University of Tennessee. And it looks like the wheels have already started turning inside the Lakers new head coach JJ Redick’s head about how he can utilize Dalton’s talent next season as Pelinka made a shocking revelation soon after finalizing his seventeenth pick.
Wasting no time in starting his preparation for next season, Pelinka claimed that Redick has already begun drawing up pin downs and ATO sets on a whiteboard for their new rookie. A scoring machine during his time in Tennessee and an elite three-point shooter, the Lakers were very fortunate that Knecht was still left on the board when their time came to make a selection because many predicted him to be a lottery pick.
Rob Pelinka said coach JJ Redick immediately began drawing up pindowns and ATO sets on a whiteboard for Knecht for next season.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) June 27, 2024
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Not getting any Division I offer as a senior in High School, Knecht began his college career playing two years for Northeastern Junior College. But he started climbing up the ranks because of his talent and moved to Northern Colorado, where he averaged 20.2 points along with over seven rebounds as a senior. Then, he transferred to Tennessee for his final college season and performed even better, increasing his scoring average to 21.7 points. More importantly, Knecht is a sharpshooter who shot 39.7% from the three-point line in Tennessee.
And it is understandable why JJ Redick is so excited to start working with Knecht because he himself played the role of a shooter in the league for fifteen years and has an expertise in utilizing an elite shooter like Knecht in every way possible.
Rob Pelinka is more than happy with the Dalton Knecht selection
Because the Lakers’ pick lied in the second half of the first round, not many expected them to bag an extraordinary talent with their selection. However, looking at Knecht’s college numbers and his potential, the Lakers definitely got more than what they were seeking in the draft. Even Rob Pelinka couldn’t believe his luck when he got his hands on the Tennessee star. “We would have never imagined a player as skilled and perfect for our needs would be there [at 17].” Pelinka told the media after the selection. Moreover, he also revealed that Knecht had ranked in the Top 10 picks of the Lakers’ draft board and they didn’t expect him to be available at 17.
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Rob Pelinka on Dalton Knecht: “We would have never imagined a player as skilled and perfect for our needs would be there [at 17].” Pelinka added that LAL had Knecht ranked in its top 10 on their draft board. pic.twitter.com/Ax1ieyWjLO
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) June 27, 2024
What’s more important is that Knecht could be exactly the kind of player the Lakers need to become title contenders again. If history is any indication, LeBron James and AD get the best results when they have great shooters around them. Be it KCP during the 2020 title run or Ray Allen during the Miami Heat days, LeBron always prefers dishing the ball out to good shooters and getting them easy shots. Meanwhile, AD also prefers to do the same. And Knecht has proven that he can knockdown shots whenever needed, even under pressure. So, this could be a match made in heaven. And with JJ already drawing up plays for Knecht, it’ll be interesting to see how the rookie impacts the Lakers offense next season.
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Before you go, do not forget to check out what Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato has to say about the alleged Shaq and Kobe Lakers beef. Keep checking this space for more such updates.
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