Why Tennessee's Dalton Knecht was one of the Day 1 winners at the NBA Draft Combine
Dalton Knecht lived up to the hype on Day 1 at the NBA Draft Combine Monday in Chicago. Knecht was one of four players listed as Monday’s Combine winners by On3 basketball analyst Jamie Shaw.
Shaw also named Pittsburgh guard Bub Carrington, Purdue center Zach Edey and Providence guard Devin Carter as Monday’s standouts at Wintrust Arena.
“On a day when a lot of the shooting guards measured small, Dalton Knecht came in at 6-foot-5.25 without shoes and 212 pounds,” Shaw wrote. “More than adequate size for an off-guard in the NBA. He also measured with a 6-foot-9 wing span (plus 3.75) and showcased a 39.0-inch max vertical jump.”
Knecht is widely being projected as a lottery pick in this summer’s NBA Draft, set for June 26-27 in New York. ESPN updated its mock draft after the lottery determined the draft order on Sunday and projected Knecht to be the No. 8 overall pick to the San Antonio Spurs.
Tennessee Basketball looking for its first lottery pick since 2002
Knecht would be Tennessee Basketball’s first lottery pick since Marcus Haislip went at No. 13 overall to the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2002 NBA Draft. Tobias Harris is the highest pick since then, going at No. 19 overall in 2011.
Dalton Knecht automatic in the 3-point shooting drill at the NBA draft combine. pic.twitter.com/3gigXRVF4t
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 13, 2024
It was more than just his measurements that helped Knecht on Monday.
“When you turn on the tape for Knecht, you see shot-making,” Shaw wrote. “His ability to knock down jump shots off the catch, off movement, and in pull-up fashion popped throughout the year.
“That type of shooting showed during the NBA Draft Combine as reports of his spot shooting drills and pull-up shooting drills were overwhelmingly positive.”
Dalton Knecht ‘lived up to the billing’ as a projected top-10 pick
Knecht, the Northern Colorado transfer, starred for Tennessee in his one and only season with the Vols, earning consensus First Team All-American honors and finishing as a finalist for the Naismith Player of the Year award. He averaged 21.1 points per game last season and averaged 25.5 per game in SEC play, helping him win the SEC Player of the Year award while also being named First Team All-SEC.
In 31 games during the regular season, he scored 25 or more points 10 time this season, 30 or more points seven times, 35 or more points five times and 39 or more points four times, with two 39-point games to go with the 40 he scored against Kentucky.
Shaw wrote that he currently has Knecht at No. 7 overall on his NBA Draft big board.
“Knecht came into the NBA Draft Combine projected as a top-10 pick,” Shaw wrote, “(and) his physical measurements, when put beside his peers, lived up to that billing.”
