The majority of rookies find it difficult to transition from amateur to professional competition. Ultimately, the game moves more quickly, and there are more notes and schemes to process. It is for this reason that NBA players almost never reach their peak in their debut season. However, the Los Angeles Lakers are hopeful that their decision to choose Dalton Knecht with the 17th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft would pay off right away.
After all, Knecht was lauded as one of the most NBA-ready prospects of his class, and he tore up the collegiate opposition last year as the main man for Tennessee. He turned heads with his underrated athleticism and ability to shoot every which way — whether off the catch, off the bounce, or on the move. Knecht has to be ready, as the Lakers may have to rely on him from day one due to the offseason they have had that has been defined by inactivity.
Specifically, Dalton Knecht will be a member of the Lakers’ nine-man rotation for the upcoming season, which also includes LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Max Christie, and Christian Wood. According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, Knecht could even be a “devastating off-ball weapon” in addition to the team’s more seasoned veterans. But according to Buha, Knecht needs to work on his defensive effect and work rate so that he can start as a rotation player in his debut season.
While grabbing a future All-Star is one of the best-case scenarios for a player taken out of the lottery, nabbing a rotation piece who could impact winning as early as one’s rookie season is a major win in and of itself. The Lakers know this. They misfired on their 2023 NBA Draft selection, choosing Jalen Hood-Schifino over the likes of Brandin Podziemski, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Cam Whitmore, but now, they have a chance to redeem themselves with the selection of Knecht.
