NBA Draft: Lakers select Tennessee star Dalton Knecht with No. 17 overall pick after surprising slide

Dalton Knecht had to wait a lot longer than many expected at the Barclays Center on Wednesday evening.

While that confused many, the Los Angeles Lakers took full advantage and acquired one of the best picks in the entire first round of the NBA Draft from a value perspective.

The Lakers selected Knecht with the No. 17 overall pick on Wednesday in what was one of the biggest surprises of the first round. Many thought the Tennessee star would be a top-10 pick after his run in the SEC last season. Yahoo Sports’ Krysten Peek had him as high as sixth place in her latest mock draft earlier in the day.

But as the lottery picks came and went, Knecht waited for his name to be called. Even the ESPN desk on site was confused by the slide, which appeared to be due to an age issue. At 23, Knecht is simply older than many others in this draft class. He was the oldest player selected at the time, and only two others — former Purdue star Zach Edey, who went ninth overall to Memphis, and Providence’s Devin Carter, who went 13th overall to Sacramento — were older than 20 .

But given his career so far, it’s nothing new and won’t be a problem for him. Knecht did not receive a single Division I scholarship offer after high school, and he started at a junior college before moving to Northern Colorado. He then made the jump to Tennessee for his senior season, where his career really took off.

Knecht averaged 21.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game last season with the Volunteers as he led them to the Elite Eight – the program’s deepest NCAA tournament appearance since 2010. He was one of the nation’s leading scorers and shot just under 40%. from beyond the arc, and he was named the SEC’s Player of the Year and a first-team All-American. While he may not be a generational talent to build an entire franchise around, Knecht is a veteran guard who can jump right into an NBA team with valuable minutes.

Knecht will now team up with LeBron James and play for first-year head coach JJ Redick in Los Angeles. As far as starting spots in the league go, he should fit in well in Los Angeles right away. The choice was certainly worth the wait for all parties involved.