The Los Angeles Lakers walked away with one of the possible steals of the 2024 NBA Draft when they selected Tennessee wing Dalton Knecht with the No. 17 overall pick. Knecht was projected to go in the top 10 heading into draft night, but dropped to LeBron James and the Lakers due to his age, as he is already 23 years old.
Part of the appeal of Knecht is that he is more pro-ready than any other player in his class, simply due to his age and experience. And with the Lakers needing some depth on the wings and players who are ready to go now after an uneventful offseason, Knecht falling into their laps was a massive stroke of luck.
And James recognizes that as well, as it took only one preseason game for the Lakers superstar to see that the rookie is ready to contribute on day one, according to Dan Woike of The L.A. Times:
LeBron James on Dalton Knecht: "He's a pro. He's ready to go now."
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) October 5, 2024
Knecht shined in his first preseason game with the Lakers. He tied for a team-high 16 points off the bench with 7-for-13 shooting. And while he had his fair share of rookie mistakes, it is clear that head coach JJ Redick is going to trust him to work through those while playing a rotation role for L.A.
And if James thinks he’s ready to go, that alone could give Knecht the confidence boost he needs to make an immediate impact. Knecht is not considered an all-world defender, but if he can use his size and length to bother opponents while making threes at an above-average clip, he will make all the difference for the Lakers in his first campaign.
Dalton Knecth describes preseason opener
Dalton 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.”
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