The Lakers selected Tennesse guard Dalton Knecht with the No. 17 overall pick in the NBA Draft on Wednesday night in Brooklyn, New York.
"We think he’s a player who can play on next year’s team and make a real impact," Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said. "He has a lot of upside left.
"At every step he’s improved and we expect that improvement at the next level as well.”
Knecht is a 6-foot-5 guard that worked his way up to become the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year this season and a consensus first-team all-American. After not getting any Division I scholarship offers, he played his first two college years at Northeastern Junior College and transferred to Northern Colorado for two years.
In his senior year, he averaged 20.2 points and 7.2 rebounds a game, leading the Big Sky Conference. Knecht, with an extra year of eligibility because of the pandemic, entered the transfer portal and landed at Tennessee. He made 39.7% of his 3-pointers and and helped the Volunteers get to the Elite Eight three months ago.
Knecht is the first draft pick under new coach JJ Redick. He is the eighth first-round pick under Pelinka, who joined the club in 2017.