Rob Pelinka's Honest Quote About Lakers Drafting Dalton Knecht

Rob Pelinka met with the media after the Los Angeles Lakers drafted Dalton Knecht.

Sep 26, 2022; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka speaks during Lakers Media Day at UCLA Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

On Wednesday evening, the Los Angeles Lakers drafted Dalton Knecht (out of Tennessee) with the 17th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

He finished the 2023-24 season with averages of 21.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per contest while shooting 45.8% from the field and 39.7% from the three-point range in 36 games.

Following the selection, Rob Pelinka met with the media and shared an honest quote (h/t Jovan Buha of The Athletic).

Pelinka: "We would have never imagined a player as skilled and sort of perfect for our needs would be there for us as Dalton Knecht. We had him as a top-ten player unanimously across our scouting boards."

The Lakers are a veteran-led team, so keeping their draft pick was somewhat of a surprise.

That said, Knecht could end up being a rotaional player for the team next season.

"We’d have never imagined a player as skilled and sorta perfect for our needs was there for us (at pick 17) … we had him as a Top 10 player unanimously on our scouting boards."

- Rob Pelinka on Dalton Knecht pic.twitter.com/nL7iX9TTUd

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) June 27, 2024

In addition, the Lakers have done a good job evaluating talent over the last seven years.

They have found players such as Alex Caruso (undrafted), Austin Reaves (undrafted) and Kyle Kuzma (27th overall).

"SEC Player of the Year, one of the toughest conferences … he’s a 3-level scorer … he’s going to defend. He’s physical and athletic. We just think he fits so well with our pillar pieces."

- Rob Pelinka on Dalton Knecht pic.twitter.com/9rTyZybr3A

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) June 27, 2024

The Lakers finished the 2023-24 season as the seventh seed in the Western Conference with a 47-35 record.

They beat the New Orleans Pelicans in the play-in tournament, but lost to Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA playoffs (in five games).

Jun 24, 2024; El Segundo, CA, USA; The Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick speaks to the media during an introductory news conference at the UCLA Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Following the season, the Lakers fired Darvin Ham after two seasons at the helm.

They then hired 15-year NBA veteran JJ Redick to be their next coach.