Why 'literally everybody' with Lakers was 'ecstatic' over Dalton Knecht's draft plunge
12/02/2024 04:00 PM
The Los Angeles Lakers seemingly have hit it out of the park with their first-round selection of Dalton Knecht out of the Tennessee basketball program. When the pick was turned in, a lot of fans and media members believed it was a great selection, and it turns out that the Lakers felt that internally as well.
“Literally everybody was ecstatic,” a Lakers team source told Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “Usually there’s a couple pissed-off people after draft night because sometimes it’s a tough decision made. … And it was like everybody was just happy. Nobody was pissed off. Nobody was even close to being like, ‘Well what about this?’ It was like zero discussion, zero argument. Everybody was just happy. High-fives, celebrating. … Let’s go.”
Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka did not believe that Knecht would drop that far leading up to the draft, but age and some interviews led to some teams staying away. Pelinka noted that Knecht is the type of player the Lakers have wanted for a long time.
“We, as a front office, have sort of chased in theory the exact player he is, a movement shooter,” Pelinka said, via McMenamin. “… And then not only is he a movement shooter, but a movement shooter with athleticism, which is a really unique combination.”
“We, as a front office, have sort of chased in theory the exact player he is, a movement shooter,” Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka told ESPN.
20 games into Knecht’s career, he has lived up to that billing. He is averaging 11.9 points while playing 24.1 minutes per game, but while shooting 42.9% from behind the arc this season, according to ESPN. When looking into why the Lakers have gotten off to a solid 12-8 start this season, Knecht is one of the new additions to take note of.
Lakers looking to continue strong start on road trip
The Lakers got a 105-104 win on the road against the Utah Jazz on Sunday, and are playing a back-to-back against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday. That might be a tough game to win, but if Los Angeles could come away with two more wins on this road trip, it would continue the positive momentum they have had overall this season. After the Timberwolves matchup, the Lakers will play the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks before returning home to play the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.
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