Lakers News: Rob Pelinka Reveals More Into Why LA Drafted Dalton Knecht

The Lakers were high on Knecht for several reasons.

Eva Geitheim | Jun 27, 2024

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

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Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers got a pleasant surprise on NBA Draft night when Dalton Knecht fell to them at No. 17. The Lakers had all considered Knecht a top-10 player in the draft, but he miraculously fell to the team at 17.

"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

After drafting Knecht, general manager Rob Pelinka noted that his versatility and talent on the court were not the only attributes they liked about him, but his drive and intangibles as well.

“Just in talking to him when we drafted him, I think, of course he was rated on a lot of the boards top 8, top 7. So I think already you could just feel that mentality of, ‘OK, some of these teams passed on me. I’m going to show them they were wrong,’” Pelinka said, via Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times. “You could just get that sense from him, his aura, his vibe. So I just think he’s a really, really interesting tool for us to add to our other players. Really excited.”

Knecht has acknowledged he has a chip on his shoulder going back all the way to high school. He had to begin college basketball at junior college before finally getting a shot at Northern Colorado.

He only spent one season playing for a Power-5 Conference team. Falling to the No. 17 pick in the draft could likely add to this chip, which is the kind of motivation many of the great players use to succeed in the NBA and sports.

Knecht comes to the Lakers after playing three years of college basketball, including two at Northern Colorado and one at Tennessee. In his final year of college, he averaged 21.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. He earned great recognition during his season at Tennessee, winning the SEC Newcomer of the Year, SEC Player of the Year, the Julius Erving award for top small forward in the nation, and was a first-team All-American.