It’s the dawn of a new era for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The fact that teams allowed Dalton Knecht to slip to the No. 17 spot was rather surprising, even considering his age.
The Lakers now have one of the best and most NBA-ready offensive weapons in the class, and he’s looking forward to getting to work already.
Following his selection, the Tennessee product sent the fans a message and talked about how excited he was for being there. Lb pe
Knecht’s pick feels oddly similar to what the Miami Heat did when they took Jaime Jaquez Jr. last season, as he’s not the youngest prospect by any means, but he’s definitely one of the most polished and ready to contribute right away.
The 23-year-old’s path to the league wasn’t easy, as he played at Northeastern Junior College in Colorado before joining Northern Colorado and eventually transferring to Tennessee.
In his lone season with the Volunteers, he led the SEC in scoring and was named both First Team All-America and SEC Player of the Year, averaging a whopping 21.7 points per game on 45.8% from the floor and 39.7% from downtown.
There was plenty of uncertainty regarding the Lakers’ selection, and some even thought they would use it to get Bronny James.
However, they may have gotten the steal of the first round instead.
