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By Dave McMenamin, ESPN staff writer
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Los Angeles Lakers selected Dalton Knecht out of the University of Tennessee with the 17th pick in Wednesday’s NBA draft, making him the first unanimous All-American selected by Los Angeles in the draft since selecting Lonzo Ball with the No. 2 pick in 2017.
“In my opinion, there’s no way you could have a player like this on draft day,” Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka said. “Overall, we couldn’t be happier.”
Knecht, 23, began his collegiate career at Northeastern Junior College in Colorado before playing two seasons with Northern Colorado of the Big Sky Conference before playing one season with the Volunteers, averaging 21.7 points on 49.9 percent shooting (39.7 percent from 3-point range). The 6-foot-5, 212-pound wing led Tennessee to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament in March, scoring 37 points in the team’s loss to top-seeded Purdue.
The SEC Player of the Year was projected to be selected sixth by the Charlotte Hornets in an ESPN mock draft released just before the first round, but Pelinka said the Lakers were surprised he was available because the Lakers’ internal draft committee had Knecht ranked in the top 10.
“If we had the 10th pick in the draft, we would have taken him,” Pelinka said, “so to get that value at 17th is really nice.”
Knecht said his draft night drop reflected his own basketball childhood, when as a high school senior he didn’t receive a single Division I scholarship offer.
“Every time I touch a basketball or every time I step in the gym, I feel like I have to prove something. No matter where I am, that feeling is always there and that feeling of being underestimated my whole life has stayed with me,” Knecht told reporters at Barclays Center in New York after being drafted. “So that’s something I’m going to carry with me for the rest of my career.”
Knecht’s selection marks the Lakers’ first big decision since new head coach JJ Redick took over, and Pelinka said Knecht’s ability to shoot on the move reminds him of Redick’s time as a player.
Pelinka said Redick began drawing plays to replace Knecht on a whiteboard in the Lakers’ draft room immediately after the team notified the league of the selection.
“I’m really excited,” Knecht told reporters after being informed of Redick’s reaction. “I’ve watched a lot of the games at Tennessee with Coach J.J. Redick. [Rick] “Barnes and the way he moves and his pace and his ability to create space. I’m really excited to hear that and it’s going to be really special.”
Lakers star LeBron James praised Knecht while talking about the growing popularity of women’s college basketball in early April, when Los Angeles played the Washington Wizards just days after Tennessee’s tournament game ended.
“The reason we watched the Purdue-Tennessee game was because Zach Eddy and Knecht were there,” James said at the time. “Ratings-wise, it’s going to get some attention, depending on who the players are.”
Knecht said when he first watched the video, he almost couldn’t believe what James was saying was true.
“I remember the video,” Knecht told reporters. “I woke up and got out of bed and thought it was fake because so many people were messaging me and I thought, ‘No way,’ but then I saw the video and it just put a smile on my face. My parents called me right away and told me about it.”
“So it’s going to be special and it’s going to be fun just sharing the court with both of those guys. [Anthony Davis] And Bron. Bron is one of the best players. So it’s going to be a really special match.”
Pelinka was pleased with his team’s performance on the night but acknowledged L.A. had made trade inquiries around the league prior to Wednesday without success. The Lakers have three first-round draft picks, including the 17th overall pick this year, that could be factored into any trade.
“We looked at every upgrade we could to make our team stronger,” Redick said. “I think if you surveyed all 30 GMs across the league, you’d find that with the new CBA system, trades are more difficult, so I think there are fewer opportunities to make big moves than there were under the old system. But that didn’t stop us from looking at every way we could make our team better and trying to put ourselves in a good position. But we feel like this pick alone is a big boost for our team, and we’re excited.”
The second round of the draft will take place on Thursday. The Lakers have the 55th pick.
