Why did Dalton Knecht drop to No. 17 in 2024 NBA Draft? Exploring real reason behind late pick

To the surprise of many, Dalton Knecht was selected 17th overall by the LA Lakers at the 2024 NBA Draft. The Tennessee star was expected to be selected in the top 10 ahead of the draft after his dominant play in college basketball as a fifth-year senior.

However, at 23 years old, the former Tennessee Volunteers guard is one of the oldest prospects in this draft class. According to ESPN's Jonathan Givony during the draft broadcast, the general managers he had spoken with were concerned about Knecht's age, which is likely the primary reason for his slide in the draft.

Dalton Knecht was a junior basketball player for two years before transferring to Northern Colorado. Moreover, it took Knecht until his fourth year of eligibility to really start dominating, before which he averaged just 8.9 points in his third year while playing at Northern Colorado. It is likely that his late-blooming path has been of concern to some teams.

Knecht averaged an impressive 21.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in his final year as a collegiate player. He was also one of the best scorers in the country with an efficient shooting percentage of 45.8% from the field, including 39.7% from beyond the arc.

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Lakers GM reveals JJ Redick was already drawing plans for Dalton Knecht soon after picking him at 2024 NBA Draft

In the press conference after the first round of the draft, LA Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka shared that the team is thrilled to have picked up Dalton Knecht with their 17th overall pick, and revealed that they anticipated the Tennessee star to be picked Top-10 in the draft.

“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 said.

Pelinka also revealed that their new head coach, JJ Redick, got to work soon after the Lakers acquired Knecht in the draft.

"I was joking with coach Redick upstairs that we've found a movement shooter to match his skills as a player and he (Redick) already had his whiteboard out drawing up pin-downs and ATOs and actions where he could run a movement shooter off-screen," Pelinka said. "I think his mind is already working on drawing up plays for Dalton."

Watch the segment at 1:05 here:

Dalton Knecht is expected to be a great fit in the Lakers alongside LeBron James and co. as they play under the first-year head coach JJ Redick.