The Lakers selected sharpshooter Knecht with the 17th pick! Known as a scorer without dead ends, he teamed up with Zhan Mei to win the championship

Serious basketball club

2024-06-27 09:57Creators in the field of sports

On June 27, Beijing time, the NBA draft was held as scheduled. With the 17th pick in the first round, the Lakers drafted Dalton Knecht!

Knecht was born on April 19, 2001, a shooting guard/small forward, from the University of Tennessee, height: 6'6 (1.98 meters), weight: 212 pounds (96 kilograms), arm span: 6 feet 9 (2.06 meters), player template: Mike Miller/Strus/Duncan Robinson.

In the 2023-24 season, Knecht played in 36 games, averaging 21.7 points and 4.9 rebounds in 30.6 minutes per game, shooting 45.8% from the field, 39.7% from three-point range, and 77.2% from the free throw line.

According to Kneckt's draft report, his strengths are as follows:

1. No dead end scorer. Kneckert is a pure scorer with a very diverse attacking approach and he can look for opportunities on the court. Kneckett has solid shooting skills, can shoot from any position, and can hit back-to-back shots when his hand is hot. Kneckert runs aggressively without the ball, is good at using cover, is efficient at receiving and shooting, and is stable with the ball. Kneckett is nimble to the basket, has a balanced left and right hand, and can put the ball into the basket from a variety of angles.

2. Good physical condition. Kneckett is big, explosive, and powerful, and can contribute to eye-catching air picks and dunks. Kneckett can attack the basket in open space, break through with the ball, and cut cunning without the ball. Kneckert can also punish some smaller players in the low post.

Inferior position:

1. The defense is average. While Kneckert has good physical condition, his defensive picks and defensive discipline are poor. Knecht doesn't move sideways well, is often one-stepped, and doesn't squeeze cover too well. Kneckt doesn't have a lot of defensive skills and is easy to be eaten by players with better physical bodies. Kneckt defends with too much focus on the position of the ball and wanders away from the defense when he is on the weak side.

2. Loose transmission and control. While Kneckert has some ball-handling ability, his ability to develop offense is not outstanding. Kneckt's dribbling center of gravity is too high, the tempo is not tight enough, and he is prone to mistakes on the court, which greatly affects his ability to break through. Kneckt occasionally makes eye-catching passes, but for the most part he tends to finish on his own.

Interestingly, the Lakers also had the 17th pick in the first round last year's draft when they selected Hood Schifino. In his rookie season, Schifino appeared off the bench in a total of 21 games, averaging 5.2 minutes per game, averaging 1.6 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.4 assists, shooting 22.2% from the field and 13.3% from three-point range. Obviously, this performance is not satisfactory.

What can Lakers fans expect from Kneckett's rookie season? Feel free to let us know in the comments section.

View original image 88K

• 

• 

•