Dalton Knecht is expected to be drafted early in the 2024 NBA Draft. Here's where publications are projecting the Tennessee basketball star to be drafted.
Ben McKee
The 2024 NBA Draft begins tonight with the first round set to be broadcast at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. Tennessee star guard Dalton Knecht, who will be in attendance at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, is expected to be drafted early in the first round.
Knechtwon the Julius Erving Award, which is awarded by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the nation's best small forward.He edged out Washington's Keion Brooks Jr., Memphis' David Jones, Weber State's Dillon Jones and Creighton's Baylor Scheierman for the award. He became the first Tennessee player to win the award.
The Northern Colorado transfer became this season just the eighth former junior college player to earn consensus First Team All-America honors in the NCAA Tournament era (1938-39 to present), including the first in 33 years. Knecht played at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colo., from 2019-21, before playing two seasons at Northern Colorado and transferring to Tennessee.
Knecht concluded his lone season as a Volunteer with 780 points, the second-most in a single campaign in program history. He averaged 21.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, while shooting 45.8 percent from the floor, 39.7 percent beyond the arc and 77.2 percent at the stripe. His scoring average puts him eighth nationally, including third among Power Six players and first in the SEC.
In SEC play alone, Knecht averaged 25.5 points during SEC play, which is the second-best in the league over the last 22 seasons. It was the highest scoring average of any Division 1 player this season and the best mark of any Power Six player in league play since 2019-20.
Knecht was named SEC Player of the Year by the league's coaches following the conclusion of the regular season to become the 10th Volunteer to win the award and the first to do so since Grant Williams was honored in back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019.
Here's a look at where Knecht is projected by prominent publications to be drafted on the morning of draft night.
ESPN's JonathanGivony: No. 6 overall to the Charlotte Hornets
"Knecht's draft range appears increasingly small, with teams in the range of Nos. 4 to 9 all expressing significant interest, except for Detroit at No. 5.
"Charlotte has worked out Knecht, and his fit alongside LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller appears to be strong with the perimeter shooting and all-around scoring prowess Knecht offers. If Knecht isn't picked at No. 6, it might be because a player such as Sheppard or Castle (both of whom Charlotte has worked out) becomes available.
"Rival teams say they would be surprised to see Knecht fall past both the Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio at No. 7 and No. 8, where he also seems to be coveted. Buzelis worked out with Charlotte, as well, along with Ja'Kobe Walter and Cody Williams. -- Givony"
The Athletic's Sam Vecenie: No. 6 overall to the Charlotte Hornets
"The Hornets' pick is seen as another inflection point, as teams around the league are unclear on the direction new head of basketball operations Jeff Peterson will take. Peterson was an assistant GM in Brooklyn and Atlanta, and his teams made varied picks during his time there.
"Charlotte seems to have interest, to varying degrees, in Sheppard, Castle, Knecht and potentially others, league sources tell The Athletic. In Knecht, the Hornets would be selecting a player to help space the court for young stars Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball. Knecht scored at a dizzying pace in college, averaging 25.5 points in 18 SEC games while shooting 48.4 percent from the field and 42.4 percent from 3. His season averages were 21.7 points per game on 46 percent from the field, but those stats were dragged down by a stretch where he played at less than 100 percent following an ankle injury. His offense should translate to NBA settings. Not only is he a terrific shooter, especially off movement, but he's also a higher-end athlete than most shooters. He can sky in transition and finish inside with hang time.
"If Detroit used its pick on anyone but Clingan, there would be a significant bidding war from teams trying to jump ahead of Portland at No. 7 to acquire him. Charlotte could be in asset-accumulation mode under its new head of basketball operations."
Bryan Kalbrosky of USA TODAY: No. 9 overall to the Memphis Grizzlies
"Dalton Knecht shot nearly 40.0 percent from beyond the arc on his way to becoming a consensus first-team All-American, SEC Player of the Year, and won the Julius Erving Award for the nation's top small forward.
"He averaged 0.46 points per offensive touch, via Stats Perform, the second-most among any player included on the latest consensus big board."
Ben Golliver of The Washington Post: No. 10 to the Utah Jazz
"Only a handful of 23-year-old rookies have been selected in the draft lottery over the past 10 years: Davion Mitchell, Cameron Johnson, Denzel Valentine and Doug McDermott. Knecht, 23, emerged as a lottery prospect by averaging 21.7 points and shooting 39.7 percent on three-pointers during his strong senior season with the Volunteers. Jazz Coach Will Hardy is attempting to establish a more disciplined culture, and Knecht, the SEC player of the year, should be ready to contribute from Day 1 while fitting into Utah's spacing-oriented attack."
Brian Lewis of the New York Post: No. 6 overall to the Charlotte Hornets
"Behind Brandon Miller and the oft-injured LaMelo Ball, the Hornets could use reliable backcourt help. They've already worked out both Sheppard and Castle, but if they're already snapped up by this point, Knecht's offense (21.7 points and 39.7 percent from deep) could be a good fit with Ball and Miller."
Krysten Peek of Yahoo Sports: No. 6 overall to the Charlotte Hornets
"The Hornets could be looking to move up to No. 3 to possibly draft Castle before he's available at No. 4 to the Spurs, but if a trade can't happen, Knecht is a good backcourt option to add to LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. He's an older, experienced guard who was the best scorer in the SEC this season and can give solid minutes right away."
Ben Couch, NBA.com: No. 8 to the San Antonio Spurs
"Capitalized on a transfer to Tennessee, averaging 21.7 points while scoring all kinds of ways, especially from long range."
