“That’s Who JJ Was”: Dalton Knecht Has Draymond Green Glorifying Coach Redick, Lakers’ NBA Draft Masterstroke

Projections before the NBA draft had the now Lakers rookie, Dalton Knecht as Top 6 and 10. However, come draft night, nearly everyone was surprised as the former Tennessee star kept falling down the list. Draft expert Jonathan Givony said on the ESPN broadcast that he was frantically calling all the GMs to understand why it was happening. It was because of the one aspect the scout reports had already pointed out – Dalton’s age. The 23-year-old sharpshooter spent five years in three different colleges, honing his skills.

So while he was an NBA-ready product, the teams that passed him on were looking for teenagers. All the better for the Los Angeles Lakers. Simply because Dalton Knecht was everything they were looking for. Something veteran forward Draymond Green also believes to be the case. We know how excited Rob Pelinka was when he saw Dalton practically falling into their laps. He was happy like a kid in a candy store.

While Green might not have shown the same enthusiasm, the 4x champion dubbed Dalton a “decent athlete.” And more importantly, he can shoot, something their new coach JJ Redick would love.

“I think JJ is going to run him off screens because that’s who JJ was. So JJ’s going to be looking for that. If he can come off screens, which he showed some at Tennessee, firing and turning the corner and getting downhill, I think that’s very beneficial,” Green said on his YouTube channel.

Tennessee had run Dalton off tons of screens. He was brilliant at reading the defense, finding open space, and draining his shot.

JJ Redick was already drawing up pin-downs and ATOs when Pelinka joked they found someone who matched the former Magic star’s skills. The reigning SEC player of the year himself shared that he was a huge fan of his new coach in college. And now, he will receive the Redick experience firsthand. There is no doubt that the first-time coach has some impressive plans for Dalton.

Will Dalton Knecht turn out to be the missing piece of the puzzle?

Darvin Ham, in his last season as the Lakers coach, had been experimenting with all sorts of things to find the method that would stick, a game plan that would take them to a championship before LeBron James would end things for good. However, the only result was two irritated superstars and a disgruntled locker room. With Anthony Davis gaining more attention as the next face of the franchise, it was necessary to build a support system surrounding the big man.

And it was something that was foremost in Coach Redick’s mind. The former sharpshooter made it clear that he wanted to modify LA’s attack by using AD as a handoff hub. James, for his part, has an excellent track record of working well with elite shooters, which Dalton is.

A reliable three-point threat, Dalton made 42.3% of his catch-and-shoot 3s, according to Synergy Sports. As for contested catch-and-shoot 3s, he made 40.3%. We don’t have to tell you that Redick, in his 15 years at the NBA, retired as one of the most prolific shooters. His conversion rate at the time of retirement was a phenomenal 41.5% from downtown. There is every reason to believe that Redick will bring the best out of Dalton.

Skip Bayless said it best. “Maybe JJRedick’s Lakers just drafted a JJRedick.” What do you think? Did they?

Can Dalton translate his five years of college experience into a championship-hungry team led by veterans James and Davis? Will he join the hallowed ranks of Darko Miličić, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Tim Duncan, and more as a rookie who made an immediate impact? Let us know your thoughts.