Following months of assessment and speculations, the Los Angeles Lakers have finally made their decision. With their 17 pick in tonight’s draft, Rob Pelinka and Co. picked 23-year-old Dalton Knecht from the University of Tennessee. And it looks like the wheels have already started turning inside the Lakers’ new head coach JJ Redick’s head about how he can utilize Dalton’s talent next season as Pelinka made a shocking revelation soon after finalizing his 17th pick.

Wasting no time in starting his preparations, Jovan Buha informs the community, tweeting, “Rob Pelinka said coach JJ Redick immediately began drawing up pindowns and ATO sets on a whiteboard for Knecht for next season”. A scoring machine during his time in Tennessee and an elite 3-point shooter, the LA side was fortunate that he was still left to be taken when their time came to make a selection. Many predicted Dalton Knecht to be a lottery pick.

Not getting any Division I offer as a senior in High School, Knecht began his college career playing two years for Northeastern Junior College. He started climbing up the ranks because of his skill and moved to Northern Colorado, where he averaged 20.2 points along with over 7 rebounds as a senior. Then, he transferred to Tennessee for his final college season and performed even better, increasing his scoring average to 21.7 points. More importantly, Knecht is a sharpshooter who shot 39.7% from the three-point line in Tennessee.

And it is understandable why JJ Redick is so excited to start working with Dalton Knecht because he himself played the role of a shooter in the league for fifteen years and has expertise in utilizing an elite shooter like the new joinee in every way possible.

Rob Pelinka is more than happy with the Dalton Knecht selection

Because the Lakers’ pick lay in the 2nd half of the first round, not many expected them to bag an extraordinary talent. However, looking at Knecht’s college numbers and his potential, the Lakers definitely got more than what was anticipated they would get. Even Rob Pelinka couldn’t believe his luck when he got his hands on the Tennessee star. “We would have never imagined a player as skilled and perfect for our needs would be there [at 17],” Pelinka told the media after the selection. Moreover, he also revealed that Dalton Knecht had ranked in the Top 10 picks of the Lakers’ draft board and they didn’t expect him to be available at 17.

What’s more important is that Knecht could be exactly the kind of player the Lakers need to become title contenders again. If history is any indication, LeBron James and AD get the best results when they have great shooters around them.

Be it KCP during the 2020 title run or Ray Allen during the Miami Heat days, LeBron always prefers dishing the ball out to good shooters and getting them easy shots. Meanwhile, AD also prefers to do the same. And Dalton Knecht has proven that he can knock down shots whenever needed, even under pressure. So, this could be a match made in heaven. LeBron and AD’s preference for good shooting was also evident this season with Austin Reaves knocking down 154 three-pointers as compared to only 86 last season. With the addition of Knecht, he could either get the backup spot behind D’Lo and Reaves or even get the starting nod if he exceeds JJ’s expectations. In that case, the Lakers starting lineup could include Reaves, Knecht/D’Lo, Hachimura, LeBron and AD. And with JJ already drawing up plays for Knecht, it’ll be interesting to see how the rookie impacts the Lakers’ offense next season.

Before you go, do not forget to check out what Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato has to say about the alleged Shaq and Kobe Lakers beef. Keep checking this space for more such updates.