Dalton Knecht NBA Draft Scouting Report: Pro Comparison, Updated Lakers Roster
Joseph Zucker@@JosephZucker
Featured Columnist IVJune 27, 2024
Tennessee star Dalton Knecht added another achievement to his improbable basketball journey as the Los Angeles Lakers selected him with the 17th overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft.
Bleacher Report Draft Expert Jonathan Wasserman's Scouting Report
Player: Dalton Knecht
Position: SF
Size: 6'6", 204 lbs
Pro Comparison: Wally Szczerbiak
Scouting Report: Knecht was overlooked at Northern Colorado, but after matching his numbers at Tennessee against SEC competition, he's drawn serious interest from NBA scouts. He's being viewed as an NBA-ready shotmaker who also offers some extra scoring ability with his physicality attacking the rim.
Anthony Davis, C: $43.2M (2029)
Rui Hachimura, PF: $17M (2026)
Austin Reaves, SG: $13M (2027)
Gabe Vincent, PG: $11M (2026)
Jarred Vanderbilt, PF: $10.7M (2028)
Jalen Hood-Schifino, PG: $3.9M (2027)
Christian Wood, C: $3M (2025)
Maxwell Lewis, SF: $1.9M (2027)
Dalton Knecht, SF: Rookie scale contract
LeBron James, PF: Player option
D'Angelo Russell, PG: Player option
Taurean Prince, PF: UFA
Mohamed Bamba, C: UFA
Jaxson Hayes, C: Player option
Cam Reddish, SF: Player option
Spencer Dinwiddie, PG: UFA
Max Christie, SG: RFA
Colin Castleton, PF: RFA
Skylar Mays, SG: RFA
Knecht's college career began at Northeastern Junior College, and he parlayed his two years there into a transfer to Northern Colorado. Following a standout senior campaign, the 6'6" forward decided he was ready to step up from the Big Sky and challenge himself in the SEC.
His production didn't suffer one bit from increasing his level of competition.
Knecht averaged 21.7 points and 4.9 rebounds, and he was a 39.7 percent shooter from the perimeter. He was named the SEC Player of the Year and received the Julius Erving Award, which goes to the top small forward in the country.
Even in his wildest dreams, the 23-year-old never thought when he debuted at Northeastern that he'd wind up as a Player of the Year in a major conference and a top-20 NBA pick.
Because of his age, Knecht probably doesn't have as high an upside as some of the other top prospects in the class. He does possess a high floor, though, and he could be someone who's viewed as a steal when reassessing the 2024 draft in a few years.
