Dalton Knecht Drawing "Strong Interest" From Charlotte

Jeremy Woo of ESPN reported of Charlotte's interest in Knecht

Mar 31, 2024; Detroit, MI, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Dalton Knecht (3) reacts in the first half against the Purdue Boilermakers during the NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional Championship at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports / Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

The Charlotte Hornets are being strongly linked to Dalton Knecht by ESPN's Jeremy Woo. In ESPN's latest "Top 100" ranking, Woo had Knecht ranked 8th and linked the Hornets, among other to the senior out of Tennessee.

Knecht has positioned himself pretty firmly as a mid-lottery pick, drawing strong interest from Charlotte, Portland, San Antonio, Memphis and Utah in the Nos. 6-10 range. The reliability of his skill set as a legitimate scorer with positional size coming off an efficient season bodes well in the long run, dispelling most of the concerns about his advanced age for a lottery pick. He has the size, instincts and shooting ability that should translate effectively in an offense-driven NBA.

- Jeremy Woo

Who's rising, falling from the NBA draft? We updated our top 100 rankings with tons of intel with what's going on around the world of the NBA Drafthttps://t.co/2LkCdpa7bt

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 7, 2024

Knecht has a unique story, starting his career atJunior College before transferring to Northern Colorado and eventually the University of Tennessee. As a member of the Volunteers, Knecht averaged 21.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 stocks per game.

Knecht is a three level scorer with good size and tested surprsingly well at the draft combine. Unfortunately, he doesn't offer much as a ball handler, playmaker or defensive player. Is he closer to Doug McDermott or Duncan Robinson? One is a starter on a playoff team, the other a borderline rotation player.