2024 NBA Draft, Lakers select Knecht. Pelinka: “I didn’t think he was going to be available to us”

In the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers selected Dalton Knecht of Tennessee with the No. 17 pick, a player that Rob Pelinka said no one in the franchise would be available this late. In fact, the Lakers’ projections had Knecht listed in the first 10 picks, and the yellow-viola GM admitted that if they had the 10th pick, they would have used it on Knecht anyway.

According to many insiders, the Lakers got a great prospect: In his only year with the Volunteers, Knecht averaged 21.7 points while shooting nearly 40 percent from three-point range. According to Pelinka, as soon as coach JJ Redick learned of the franchise’s selection, he began devising schemes to free Knecht up to shoot the ball. Pelinka eventually admitted that they “could not have been happier” after selecting Knecht in the NBA Draft”.