By landing the player that was slipping in Wednesday’s 2024 NBA Draft first round, the Lakers received nearly unanimously great grades for their selection of Dalton Knecht.
It’s hard to look at the Lakers’ selection of Dalton Knecht with the No. 17 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft as anything other than a home run selection.
While none of the reaction means Knecht will be a guaranteed success in purple and gold, the Lakers landing a prospect that was a top-10 prospect by most — including Rob Pelinka and the scouting department — outside of the lottery has drawn rave reviews across the board.
Here’s a look at the grades of a number of outlets for the Lakers' first-round pick.
Grade: B+
Knecht was projected to go much higher than this, but dropping to No. 17 feels like a more appropriate range for him. He’s an older player who was in total anonymity in college basketball before his fifth year breakout with Tennessee, where he emerged as the country’s top perimeter scorer. At 6’6, Knecht is a great outside shooter who has enough athleticism to attack the rim. I think he’s a poor defensive player, but it isn’t hard to imagine him spacing the floor for LeBron James and Anthony Davis on offense.
Grade: A
The slide is over, and the Lakers are the lucky ones. Knecht is a long, athletic wing who is arguably the best off-ball scorer in this draft, equally adept at running to daylight behind the arc and cutting baseline for an easy dunk. Yes, Knecht is 23 years old—you’ll just have to get used to seeing and hearing that in this draft class. With his “old age” come very clear expectations, especially on a Lakers team with a rigid hierarchy. Knecht will be asked to score the ball in as many ways as he can. He looks up for the challenge.
Grade: A+
Knecht was the best scorer in the SEC, averaging 21.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game at Tennessee. He’s one of the older players in the first round at 23 but can be a plug-and-play guy right away, contributing with his size and three-level scoring.
Grade: A+
This is an absolute no-brainer, someone whom I would have taken in the top seven. Big time scorer, big time shot-maker. He’s not just a shooter, but he can run off screens and be a primary domino and unlock playbooks. For JJ Redick, a shooter himself, I like the coach-player fit because Redick will know how to use him.
Grade: A+
His three-ball should play in the NBA right away, but he could function as more than a net-shredding specialist. He can create shots off the bounce, finish around (and above) the basket, find clean looks for his teammates and move into open space off the ball.
Teams were seemingly scared away by the fact that Knecht is 23 years old and therefore presumably closer to his ceiling than younger prospects. The Lakers, who are in win-now mode as long as LeBron James and Anthony Davis stay together, were wise to snatch up Knecht’s NBA-ready outside shot and scoring punch.
Grade: A
Knecht is a plug-and-play shooter who will help the Lakers who ranked 28th in three-point attempts per game last season. He has a low ceiling compared to other prospects but for a team looking to maximize LeBron James’ final years, this is likely the best choice at this spot.
Grade: A+
Knecht had no business being on the board at No. 17. The Lakers just got the steal of the draft.
Knecht is as NBA-ready as any player in this class and he lands with a team that is looking to win now. He’s a three-level scorer and excellent 3-point shooter who will make a killing on catch-and-shoot opportunities playing off of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.
