Where Tennessee's Dalton Knecht stands in ESPN's ranking of the top-25 NBA Draft prospects
Tennessee basketball’s Dalton Knecht is the No. 8 overall prospect in this summer’s NBA Draft, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo. The 6-foot-6 wing is the fourth-best college prospect according to ESPN’s ranking of the top-25 prospects available in the NBA Draft.
“Following a breakout year that culminated in an Elite Eight berth for the Volunteers, Knecht has made a compelling case for himself,” Woo wrote in the rankings. “Age notwithstanding, he’s arguably the most polished scorer in the class, an excellent shooter and an above-average athlete.
Knecht, the 6-foot-6 Northern Colorado transfer, starred for Tennessee this season on his way to becoming a consensus First Team All-American and a finalist for the Naismith Player of the Year award.
He averaged 21.1 points per game this season and averaged 25.5 per game in SEC play, helping him win SEC Player of the Year and First Team All-SEC honors. He was named the Julius Erving Award winner on Saturday, given annually to college basketball’s top small forward.
Dalton Knecht: Consensus First Team All-American, SEC Player of the Year, Naismith award finalist
“Teams know he’s not going to add a ton of value on defense,” Woo wrote, “but there’s some security in his ability to add offensive value with and without the ball. After entering the season under the radar as a transfer (Northern Colorado), he’s proven himself repeatedly, ending the season with an impressive 37-point showing against Purdue.
“Knecht profiles as a player who can step in and score right away, and considering this draft class, it’s easy to see a team prioritizing that in the lottery.”
Knecht scored a career-high 40 points in Tennessee’s 85-81 loss to Kentucky on March 9 at Thompson-Boling Arena and had 37 in the Elite Eight loss to Purdue on Sunday, setting a new Tennessee NCAA Tournament scoring record.
He scored 103 points over four games in the NCAA Tournament, setting another Tennessee record.
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.
25.5 points per game in SEC play was highest in the league in 22 seasons
Knecht’s 21.1 points points per game came on 46.1% from the field and 39.1% from the 3-point line. He added 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game, too.
He averaged 24.8 points in true road games, shooting 50.8% from the field and 43.0% from the 3-point line. He had 13 or more points in all 11 road games this season and had 22 or more in eight road games and 32 or more in three road games.
Knecht’s 25.5 points per game in SEC play during the regular season made him the league’s highest-scoring player over the last 22 seasons. He was also the highest scoring player in conference play for any Division I team this season and was the highest scoring player from any Power 6 conference since 2019-20.
