The Los Angeles Lakers may have very well come away with the steal of the 2024 NBA Draft when Dalton Knecht fell to them at No. 17.
Knecht was considered a near-lock to go in the lottery, but perceived concerns over his defense and age led to his slide down the board. With the Tennessee product still available, the Lakers made the easy choice to pick him and they are already reaping the benefits as the rookie has come almost exactly as advertised.
Knecht started out slow to begin Summer League, but soon picked it up from a scoring and shooting standpoint and ended the summer on a high note. Fortunately for him and Los Angeles, he was able to carry that momentum into the preseason as he had a strong performance dropping 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field.
After the game was over, Knecht explained his approach to the game and what it felt like to be playing in an NBA game for the first time.
“I feel like it was just coming more natural and in rhythm, my shots. I turned down a couple and had some unnecessary turnovers, but just trying to stay aggressive and I know my teammates have a ton of confidence in me shooting the ball. So just staying out there confident and trusting my shot and my craft.”
Knecht says he is just trying to do whatever the team needs, stuff like shooting the ball with confidence and trying to help on the glass.
“I’m just trying to do whatever the team needs. Trying to be the best role player I can be and like I said, just shooting the ball with confidence and also just rebounding and trying to play great defense.”
He added it felt cool to play in his first NBA game and had a moment where he took it all in.
“Before I even checked onto the court, I would say just running around the court for the first time. I would say that with all my teammates, that was probably the time where I was like ‘Man, I made it.’ But it’s also just really cool just to check in and then shoot my first shot, that was also a really cool moment. And then to get my first dunk. So it was good just to get those minutes underneath me and stay confident out there.”
It’s an exciting time for any rookie to make their professional debut, and Knecht summed up his experience by noting how much he enjoyed it, using the words “fun” and “natural” when discussing how he felt on an NBA court.
Although it was just one preseason game, Knecht already looked comfortable and confident with his movements on the floor. On the offensive end in particular, he wasn’t shy about letting the basketball fly and also had a couple of highlight-reel moments getting to the basket.
Overall, it was a very encouraging first game from Knecht, who should immediately compete for a rotation spot. His mix of size, outside shooting and athleticism would be hard for head coach JJ Redick to pass up during the 2024-25 season.
Dalton Knecht put up muscle during summer
One of the other perceived knocks on Dalton Knecht during the draft process was his slimmer frame. While not exactly a pushover, Knecht looked like he might struggled at the next level guarding bigger players.
However, to address that issue Knecht reportedly put on more muscle during the summer.
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