EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Los Angeles Lakers chosen Dalton Knecht out of Tennessee with the No. 17 decide in Wednesday’s NBA draft, the primary consensus All-American drafted by L.A. since taking Lonzo Ball No. 2 in 2017.
“In my thoughts, there is no such thing as a means a participant like this might be out there for us to select on draft evening,” mentioned Lakers vice chairman of basketball operations and basic supervisor Rob Pelinka. “Throughout the board, simply could not be happier.”
Knecht, 23, averaged 21.7 factors on 49.9% capturing (39.7% from 3) in his lone season with the Volunteers after starting his collegiate profession at Northeastern Junior Faculty in Colorado then enjoying two seasons for Northern Colorado within the Massive Sky Convention. The 6-foot-5, 212-pound wing led Tennessee to the Elite Eight within the NCAA event in March, scoring 37 factors in an elimination loss to No. 1-seeded Purdue.
The SEC participant of the yr was slated to go No. 6 to the Charlotte Hornets in ESPN’s mock draft revealed simply earlier than the primary spherical, and Pelinka mentioned the Lakers have been shocked Knecht was out there after their inside draft board ranked him within the prime 10.
“If we might have had the tenth decide within the draft, we might have taken him,” Pelinka mentioned. “So, to get that worth at 17 is basically extraordinary.”
Knecht mentioned his draft evening fall mirrored his basketball upbringing. As a highschool senior, he didn’t area a single Division I scholarship provide.
“Each time I contact a basketball or stroll right into a fitness center, I all the time really feel like I bought one thing to show; and it does not matter the place I am at, it is all the time going to be there and have that chip on my shoulder for feeling like I have been underrated my entire life,” Knecht instructed reporters at New York’s Barclays Middle after being drafted. “So, it may be one thing that I will carry with me for the remainder of my profession.”
The Knecht choice marks the primary main choice for the Lakers franchise since JJ Redick was employed as its new coach. Pelinka mentioned that Knecht’s skills as a motion shooter reminds him of Redick as a participant.
Redick, in keeping with Pelinka, instantly began drawing up performs to run for Knecht on the whiteboard within the Lakers’ draft room after the workforce referred to as in its decide to the league.
“That is actually thrilling,” Knecht instructed reporters when knowledgeable of Redick’s response. “At Tennessee, I watched a variety of JJ Redick with Coach [Rick] Barnes and simply the best way he strikes and paces himself and was in a position to create area. So, listening to that, it is actually thrilling, and it may be actual particular.”
Lakers star LeBron James gave Knecht a shoutout whereas discussing the rising recognition of girls’s school basketball in early April after L.A. performed on the Washington Wizards a couple of days after Tennessee’s event run had ended.
“We watched that Purdue-Tennessee sport due to Zach Edey and Knecht,” James mentioned on the time. “Gamers, relying on who they’re, will drive the eye in the case of viewership.”
Knecht mentioned he virtually did not consider what James mentioned was actual when he first noticed the video.
“I keep in mind that clip,” Knecht instructed reporters. “I awakened and rolled away from bed and I assumed it was faux as a result of tons of individuals have been texting me. I used to be similar to, ‘There isn’t any means.’ And once I watched that video, it simply introduced a smile to my face. And in addition my dad and mom, they referred to as me immediately and instructed me about it.
“So, that is simply going to be particular. And it may be enjoyable simply to be sharing that courtroom with each of them, [Anthony Davis] and Bron. Bron’s one of many best. So, it may be actual particular.”
Whereas Pelinka actually was happy with how the evening went for his workforce, he admitted L.A. had canvassed the league for trades main as much as Wednesday, however to no avail. The Lakers had three first-round draft picks, together with this yr’s at No. 17, out there to incorporate in any potential deal.
“We explored each improve we might to make our workforce higher,” Pelinka mentioned. “I do suppose should you polled all 30 GMs throughout the league, simply basically, trades have change into tougher due to the brand new CBA system. And so, there’s much less entry, I feel, to creating these large strikes than possibly there was beneath the previous system. Nevertheless it did not hold us from attempting to have a look at every thing and methods to place ourselves in methods to be in place to be higher. However even this decide alone I really feel like provides us a giant increase, and we’re enthusiastic about it.”
The second spherical of the draft might be held Thursday. The Lakers personal decide No. 55.