Lakers News: Dalton Knecht Explains What Drives Him As a Player

The first round draft pick discusses what drives him to reach his full potential.

Tennessee guard Dalton Knecht (3) celebrates after scoring against Purdue during the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight college basketball game between at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI on Sunday, March 31, 2024. / Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA

The 2024 NBA Draft has come and gone, and the Los Angeles Laskes arguably drafted the steal of the draft in the first round when they selected rookie shooting guard from Tennesseee Dalton Knecht. 

Knecht, initially projected to be a top-10 pick, fell to No. 17, a stroke of luck for the Lakers. Despite being 23, Knecht's potential for growth is immense, a fact he has proven in the past. This bodes well for his future with the Lakers. 

The journey to Tennessee was challenging and wasn't the conservative route — still, Knecht kept his head down and ended up where he wanted to go. The newest Laker shooting guard didn't get here by accident, telling Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times what drives him as a player. 

"I feel like I've been underrated my whole entire life, ever since I was coming out of high school, so, you know, I've always had that chip on my shoulder," Knecht said. "And to this day, I'll always have that chip on my shoulder to go out there and prove people wrong."

As previously stated, Kncht's journey was not easy. He started his college basketball career at Northeastern Junior College, where he went from 6-foot-1 to 6-foot6, growing five inches before transferring to Northern Colorado. As a senior in Northern Colorado, he showed his true potential, averaging 20.2 points and 7.2 rebounds in the Big Sky Conference. 

At Tennessee, Knecht showed that he belonged as he was ultimately named the SEC Player of the Year and the SEC Newcomer of the Year. That chip on his shoulder should remain as Knecht will need to earn minutes with the purple and gold if he wants any shot on the court alongside future Hall of Famers LeBron James and Anthony Davis. 

Knecht may be a little old for a rookie, but if everything pans out, he should be able to fit in and contribute from Day 1. 

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