The Lakers stole the NBA Draft as Dalton Knecht slipped to the No. 17 pick.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — With each passing pick, Rob Pelinka felt a wave of anxiety in the Los Angeles Lakers war room.

Once Tennessee wing Dalton Knecht fell out of the top 10 selections, the Lakers hoped he would somehow fall to them. As teams continued to pursue the 23-year-old sharpshooter, the Lakers’ optimism – and coincidentally nervousness – grew.

Still, team officials looked at each other and repeatedly said, “There’s no way he’ll still be there.”

Except, when the Philadelphia 76ers selected Duke guard Jared McCain at No. 16 overall, Knecht was still there — and a unanimous selection among the Lakers’ scouting department. After months of speculation about how the Lakers would approach the 2024 NBA Draft, they kept the No. 17 pick and selected Knecht on Wednesday.

Pelinka, the team’s vice president of basketball operations and general manager, said, “We never imagined that a player as skilled and suited to our needs as Dalton Knecht would exist for us.” “We had him included as a consensus top-10 player on our scouting boards. I was following him extensively in the SEC Tournament. In my mind, a player like this will not be available for us to select on draft night. across the board, Now! “Couldn’t be happier than this.”

The Lakers requested a workout with Knecht during the draft process, but his camp declined because they did not feel he would be available until the 17th pick. The 6-foot-6, 212-pound wing was projected to go in the top 10 in most mock drafts. athleticDraft insider Sam Veseni ranked Knecht ninth on his draft board and projected him to go sixth to the Charlotte Hornets in his final mock draft. athleticJohn Hollinger had Knecht ranked 14th on his board, a few spots ahead of where he was taken.

Pelinka offered a comprehensive overview of Knecht’s skill set and how he sees him fitting in with Los Angeles.

“He’s a three-level scorer, a guy who will defend,” Pelinka said. “He’s physical. He’s athletic, a true three-and-D player, which every roster wants. But he’s also a really good athlete. He had a 39-inch vertical at the combine. So, when teams force him off the line he has the ability to get off the bounce, attack the rim. So, it’s really hard to find that versatility.

“And we think he fits very well with our pillars in AD and hopefully things will work out with LeBron in free agency. But to have a guy that will create a gravitational pull because of his shooting and when you run shooters around the court like he can, it affects the defense. This simply opens the driving lane. So, he has a lot of versatility in his game and I think he gives us a weapon that we don’t currently have on our roster.

Knecht’s basketball journey is unconventional. He was a late bloomer who didn’t earn any of the Division I awards coming out of high school. Instead he began his college career at Northeastern Junior College in Colorado for two seasons before playing two seasons for Northern Colorado in the Big Sky Conference. After a breakout campaign, Knecht transferred to Tennessee, where he became one of the best players in the country last season. He won first-team All-America honors, first-team All-SEC and SEC Player of the Year awards. He was also a finalist for national player of the year and won the Julius Erving Award as the nation’s best small forward.

As a fifth-year senior, Knecht averaged 21.7 points on 49.9 percent shooting. The bona fide sniper shot 39.7 percent on 6.5 3-point attempts per game last season. He shot 42.3 percent on catch-and-shoot 3s (a typical mark) and 36.8 percent on 3s off screens (a good mark). He ranked ninth in 3s made per game and 11th in 3s attempted per game. He could thrive as a spot-up weapon for LeBron James’ drive-and-kicks or Anthony Davis’ short-roll passes. He can also blow up floppy action and flashy screens while creating separation with his footwork and body control.

But Knecht is more than just a shooter; He is truly a triple threat. He has legitimate size with a 6-foot-9 wingspan and 8-foot-7 1/2 vertical reach. He is also a good athlete, with a vertical of 39 inches, which allows him to score in traffic against rim protectors. He is excellent at jumping from two feet. He is a smart cutter who will make defenders pay to top-lock. He is also a strong finisher in transition. In theory, he should be able to contribute offensively from day one, and project as at least a backend rotation player.

In many ways, Knecht is similar to Lakers head coach JJ Redick, who enjoyed a 15-year NBA career by becoming one of the league’s best 3-point shooters and movement shooters. Knecht has one of the best mentors in Redick, who can help him find his role in the NBA. Redick emphasized increased 3-point volume in his introductory press conference, and Knecht fits seamlessly into that strategy.

Pelinka said Redick grabbed a whiteboard and began designing pindown actions and after-timeout (ATO) plays for Knecht after the pick.

“It’s really exciting,” Knecht told reporters in New York when he told Redick’s plan. “At Tennessee, I watched JJ Redick a lot with coach (Rick) Barnes and the way he moves and paces himself and was able to create space. So, it’s really exciting to hear and it’s going to be really special.”

According to league sources, Knecht slipped in the draft due to age and defensive concerns. At 23 years old, Knecht is old for a first-round prospect, which is limiting his long-term upside hypothetically. This theoretically puts more pressure on him to contribute right away, as he doesn’t have the same grace period compared to if he were 19 or 20. However, the Lakers are not worried about Knecht’s age, as they believe the chip he carries on his shoulder and his slide in the draft will motivate him to continue improving.

Knecht agrees that he has proven his ability to defy his doubters, citing his unique path to the league.

“Every time I touch a basketball or go into the gym, I always feel like I have something to prove,” Knecht said. “And no matter where I am, it’s always going to be there and I have that chip on my shoulder to realize that I’ve been underestimated my whole life. So that’s going to be something that I’ll carry with me throughout my career.”

As far as his defense goes, Knecht’s size and athleticism haven’t translated to that side of the ball either. He has a bad habit of standing upright frequently, allowing defenders to pass him on the perimeter. For the most part, he fits fine within a team scheme, but he is currently a defensive minus that teams will inevitably target. How much – and how fast – he progresses on the defensive end will determine whether he can stay on the floor, barring being a 40-plus percent shooter from 3 (which is certainly possible).

On that front, Pelinka also said the organization is not concerned about any perceived defensive limitations for Knecht due to his size and athleticism.

“This kid has improved his body,” Pelinka said. “He’ll be in the weight room. He’s determined to get stronger, stay faster. And I just think about his size – he’s a plus-four wingspan. she has good shape A shooter. On a lot of teams, when you have a shooter, you have to hide him on the other end. And it is not so with him. …I like his chances.

In early April, James cited fans wanting to see a player like Knecht, who scored 37 points in an Elite Eight loss to Purdue.

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James then said, “We saw that Purdue-Tennessee game because of Zach Eddy and (Dalton) Knecht.” “Players, depending on who they are, will attract attention when it comes to viewership.”

Knecht said he woke up to a barrage of calls and texts after a clip of James discussing the college game went viral.

“Yeah, I remember that clip,” Knecht said. “I was just like, ‘There’s no way.’ And when I saw that video, I had a smile on my face. And my parents also called me immediately and told me about it, so it’s going to be very special.”

Wednesday marked the first time the Lakers could trade three first-round picks in 2024, 2029 and 2031. (Technically, they would have had to trade the No. 17 pick after being selected.) The Lakers in particular stood out among the teams. As the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves have made notable trades over the past few days to improve their rosters, it’s interesting how James and Anthony Davis feel about the current state of the roster.

Pelinka said the Lakers’ draft-night inactivity was not due to a lack of effort.

“We explored every possible upgrade to make our team better,” Pelinka said. “I think if you surveyed all 30 GMs in the league, in general, trading has become more difficult because of the new CBA system. And so, I think the reach to make those big moves is greater than it was under the old system. But that hasn’t stopped us from looking at everything and ways to put ourselves in a better position.

“But even with this selection alone, I think it gives us a big boost and we’re excited about it.”

It remains to be seen whether James and Davis share that enthusiasm. For what it’s worth, the Lakers have another chance to try to pull off a blockbuster trade on Thursday, when they also have the No. 55 pick.

When the night started, the Lakers weren’t sure whether they would keep their pick, trade up, trade down or trade out of the draft altogether. But once Knecht came to them, they knew they had found a gem – the type of shooter they had wanted for years – and wanted to keep that option for themselves.

“The draft is an unpredictable process,” Pelinka said. “You never know what it’s going to be like when the night starts. “And for it to end like this, we couldn’t be more thrilled.”

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(Photo of Dalton Knecht against Auburn last season: Akin Howard/Getty Images)