Lakers News: Rival GMs Believe LA Rookie Guard Among Draft's Biggest Steals

Los Angeles will certainly take all the cheap bench help it can get.

Sep 30, 2024; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) and forward Dalton Knecht (4) during media day at the UCLA Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Did the Los Angeles Lakers nab a major steal in the 2024 NBA Draft when former All-American Tennessee Volunteers Dalton Knecht fell out of his expected lottery draft vicinity to get swept up with the No. 17 overall pick?

In this year's survey of the league's general managers, NBA.com's John Schuhmann reveals that six rookies all tied for a 10 percent share of votes logging the best players relative to their drafting position, including Knecht.

Washington Wizards rookie combo guard Bub Carrington (the No. 14 selection), Sacramento Kings guard Devin Carter (the No. 13 pick), Indiana Pacers shooting guard Johnny Furphy (the No. 35 selection in the second round), Minnesota Timberwolves small forward Terrence Shannon Jr. (the No. 27 pick)), and Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Nikola Topic (No. 12) were the other players who earned 10 percent of votes. They finished a smidge ahead of Chicago Bulls rookie forward Matas Buzelis, the No. 11 selection, and Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan, the No. 7 pick. Both Buzelis and Clingan earned seven percent of all GM votes for this distinction.

Across his two preseason contests so far, Knecht is averaging 23.0 minutes off the bench, while notching 11.5 points on 45.5 percent shooting from the floor and a discouraging 21.4 percent shooting from beyond the 3-point arc, on a high-volume 7.0 attempts. The 6-foot-6 swingman is also averaging 2.4 assists, 2.0 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks for Los Angeles thus far this season.

During his 2023-24 NCAA season with the Vols — during which he was named the SEC Player of the Year for his efforts — Knecht averaged an encouraging 21.7 points on a .458/.397/.772 slash line (that 3-point conversion rate arrived on a similarly prolific 6.5 triple tries a night), 4.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.6 blocks per bout.

Los Angeles was one of the least frequent 3-point shooting teams in the league last year (the team's 31.4 looks from long range ranked 28th) but did connect on a decently efficient 37.7 percent, good for eighth-best in the league — sandwiched between the seventh-best Golden State Warriors and the ninth-best Indiana Pacers. The Lakers need more snipers from long range, especially on the wing. With one of the best shooters of his era, JJ Redick, now the team's coach, it seems clear that L.A. will be looking for all the 3-point help it can get. Perhaps Knecht, an older rookie at 23, will prove to be a plug-and-play rookie right off the bat.

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