Lakers News: LA Scouts Unanimously Ranked Dalton Knecht Among Draft's 10 Best Players

The swingman slid to L.A. with the No. 17 pick.

Tennessee guard Dalton Knecht (3) dribbles against Purdue guard Lance Jones (55) during the second half of the NCAA tournament Midwest Regional Elite 8 round at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Sunday, March 31, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Los Angeles Lakers team president/general manager Rob Pelinka addressed reporters almost instantly after his club absolutely stole former Tennessee Volunteers All-American swingman Dalton Knecht with the No. 17 pick in the NBA Draft.

Jovan Buha of The Athletic shared Pelinka's opening remarks:

Rob Pelinka’s opening statement on the Lakers selecting Dalton Knecht at No. 17: pic.twitter.com/A0PRyFmUrW

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) June 27, 2024

"We would've 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 10 player unanimously across our scouting boards," Pelinka noted. "I was at the SEC Tournament scouting him extensively, and in my mind was like, 'There's no way a player like this can be available for us to pick on draft day.' ...I was joking with Coach Redick upstairs that we found a movement shooter to match his skills as a player."

Per Buha, Pelinka revealed that newly-announced Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick quickly started scheming for after-timeout (ATO) and pindown gameplans with which to best utilized Knecht in 2024-25 on his white board. The team appreciates his defensive versatility, as well as his incredible ability as a long range sniper. Buha reports that, defensively, Los Angeles expects Knecht to be able to cover shooting guards and small forwards.

"Just really, really excited," Pelinka reiterated about the Knecht fit. "Draft is an unpredictable process, you never know how it's going to go when the night starts. For it go this way, we just couldn't be more thrilled."

More Lakers: Los Angeles Drafts Dalton Knecht with No. 17 Pick