Lakers had Dalton Knecht as top-10 player ‘unanimously’ on draft board

The Lakers jumped on the opportunity to draft Dalton Knecht, a prospect who slid in the 2024 NBA Draft but that Rob Pelinka said they had a top-10 grade on.

Every draft in every sport has a prospect that falls in the draft. For the 2024 NBA Draft, it was Dalton Knecht. And after missing out on that player last year in Cam Whitmore, the Lakers learned their lesson and grabbed Knecht with the No. 17 pick in Wednesday’s first round.

While many of those prospects who fall might have injury concerns or off-the-court or field issues, neither apply to Knecht. Realistically, his slide did not have much of a reason behind it, but the Lakers took full advantage of it.

After making the selection, vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka said the team had a top-10 grade on Knecht.

It’s hard to see this as anything other than a big win for the Lakers. The Lakers scouting department has a long history of success. If they had a top-10 grade on Knecht, then you have to feel pretty good about them landing him at No. 17.

Situations do matter and perhaps that played a role in Knecht falling down the draft. He makes less sense for a rebuilding team, considering he’s 23 years old after playing five years in college.

But the Lakers are not a rebuilding team. Instead, they need win-now players, and Knecht can absolutely step in and be that guy for them. He’ll offer a scoring ability the Lakers lacked in their backcourt by the end of last season.

When Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell sat in the playoffs, the likes of Gabe Vincent, Spencer Dinwiddie and Taurean Prince, the Lakers’ offense plummeted. While Knecht can’t change that by himself, he offers way more of a scoring punch than that trio did at the end of the season.

It’s a complete change from last season as the Lakers watched Whitmore slip past them and then have a strong season with the Rockets while Jalen Hood-Schifino struggled. While it’s not a like-for-like comparison, it is a bit of poetry that they ended up in the same spot this year and opted for the win-now player.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.