Rob Pelinka’s Shocked Reaction to Dalton Knecht Lakers Pick

The Los Angeles Lakers entered the 2024 NBA Draft hoping to land an impact player, but are unsure if it will be possible to find one. After Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht fell to them, general manager Rob Pelinka and the organization were ecstatic.

Armed with the No. 17 pick in tonight’s NBA draft, the Lakers saw Knecht, 23, begin to slide in the draft and became surprisingly available to them after the Philadelphia 76ers selected Duke guard Jared McCain with the 16th overall pick.

There seemed to be no doubt once the Lakers were officially on board that he was going to join them.

Lakers Twitter:

Pelinka and the Lakers react

ESPN aired the scene inside the Los Angeles Lakers’ war room at their El Segundo training facility. Rob Pelinka, new head coach JJ Redick and the Lakers organization were seen hugging and celebrating before the pick was officially announced.

Shortly after, the selection of Dalton Knecht was announced.

Shortly after the pick was selected, Pelinka met with members of the media, where he addressed the Lakers’ selection of the Tennessee sharpshooter.

“It’s a really exciting night for the Los Angeles Lakers,” Rob Pelinka said of the Lakers’ drafting of Dalton Knecht. “Obviously, early in the draft process, with the Anthony Davis trade, we didn’t know if our pick would pass to us or actually stay with the Pelicans, so the first step in making this selection is getting the news . that the Pelicans would allow us to keep our choice this year which was of course 17.

“And that started the deliberations with the scouts and other members of the front office, bringing JJ Redick on board and putting a good board in place. We never imagined that a player as talented and perfectly suited to our needs would be there for us like Dalton Knecht. We unanimously placed him among the top 10 players in our recruiting committees.

During his final year with Tennessee, Dalton Knecht averaged 21.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists on 45.8 percent shooting from the field and 39.7 percent from three . He recorded at least 36 points six times during the season.

In the 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, Knecht was a stud averaging 26 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists on 41.2 percent shooting from the field and 40 % from three, leading the Tennessee Volunteers to the Elite 8.

“I was at the SEC Tournament scouting him extensively and in my mind I felt like there was no way a player like that could be available for us to pick on draft night,” Pelinka added. “Overall, I just couldn’t be happier. I was joking with Coach Redick upstairs that we found a motion shooter that fits his shooting skills and he already had his whiteboard drawing pins, ATOs and actions where he can run a motion shooter off of screens, so I think his mind is already working on developing plays for Dalton. Overall, I’m just really excited.”

The Lakers also have the 55th draft pick, which will be made tomorrow afternoon. The first round concluded with Bronny James, son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, undrafted and still available. It remains to be seen whether James will fall to the Lakers at 55, but it is worth noting that he has only conducted NBA Draft workouts with the Lakers and Phoenix Suns.

Day two and the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft will begin at 1 p.m. PST on ESPN.