NBA mock draft has Dalton Knecht teaming up with Grant Williams in Charlotte
The Athletic’s latest NBA mock draft has Dalton Knecht not only as the sixth overall pick but also has Tennessee’s star wing teaming up with Grant Williams at the next level. Sam Vecenie this week projected Knecht to the Charlotte Hornets with the No. 6 pick.
“The Hornets’ pick is seen as an inflection point,” Vecenie wrote, “as teams around the league are unclear on the direction new head of basketball operations Jeff Peterson will take. Peterson was an assistant general manager in Brooklyn and Atlanta during times when his teams made varied picks.”
Knecht is widely considered a lottery pick in the NBA Draft after he was a First Team All-American in his only season at Tennessee, averaging 21.1 points per game last season. He averaged 25.5 in SEC play and was named First Team All-SEC and the SEC Player of the Year.
NBA Draft First Round: June 26, 8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN
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“Knecht makes sense as a way to accentuate the trio of (Brandon) Miller, LaMelo Ball and Mark Williams,” Vecenie wrote of the fit in Charlotte, “which the organization views as its core moving forward.
“Knecht scored at a dizzying pace, averaging 25.5 points in 18 SEC games while shooting 48.4 percent from the field and 42.4 percent from 3.
“Overall, he averaged 21.7 points per game on 46 percent from the field, but those stats are dragged down by a stretch during which he played at less than 100 percent following an ankle injury.”
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Knecht ranked No. 8 overall in ESPN NBA Draft Top 100
ESPN has Knecht ranked No. 8 overall on their list of the Top 100 players available for the NBA Draft. The latest mock draft from ESPN has him going at No. 9 overall to the Memphis Grizzlies.
“Knecht, 23, was a three-level scorer in college and has a chance to translate that into a long-term NBA scoring role,” ESPN’s Jeremy Woo wrote.
Vecenie has 7-footer Alex Sarr as his No. 1 overall pick, ahead of forward Zaccharie Risacher, Reed Sheppard, Stephon Castle and Matas Buzelis.
“(Knecht’s) offense should translate to NBA settings,” Vecenie wrote. “Not only is he a terrific shooter, especially off movement, but also he’s a higher-end athlete than most shooters who can sky in transition and finish inside with hang time. He’d open up a ton of space for Ball and Miller.”
