Dalton Knecht slid hard on Wednesday night in Brooklyn.
Though that left many stunned, it ended up working out well for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers selected Knecht with the No. 17 overall pick in the NBA Draft in what was one of the biggest surprises of the event. Many expected the Tennessee star to be a top-10 pick after his impressive run in the SEC this past season — including Yahoo Sports’ Krysten Peek, who had him going No. 6 overall in her final mock draft earlier in the day.
Knecht, who transferred into Tennessee from Northern Colorado, absolutely dominated with the Vols last season. He averaged 21.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per contest and got them into the Elite Eight — which was the program’s deepest NCAA tournament run since 2010. Knecht was one of the best scorers in the country, and he earned SEC Player of the Year honors.
But as the draft carried on, Knecht kept waiting. Many teams kept passing on Knecht in favor of other players, which left the entire ESPN desk stunned. The issue, apparently, was simply his age. At 23-years-old, Knecht is older than most of the others in this draft class.
Regardless, the Lakers took full advantage of his slip. Knecht will now get to team up with LeBron James and play for first-year head coach J.J. Redick in Los Angeles.
This post will be updated with more information shortly.
