**Tennessee basketball’s Dalton Knecht selected by Los Angeles Lakers in the 2024 NBA Draft**
Tennessee guard Dalton Knecht was chosen 17th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft.
Knecht is Tennessee’s 10th top-20 pick and the highest since Marcus Haislip in 2002. He is the 54th Tennessee player drafted, the 16th in the top 30, and the 12th in the first round.
As the SEC Player of the Year, Knecht is the 44th NBA player coached by Rick Barnes in his 37-year career, including the 33rd draftee and 19th first-rounder. Knecht is the 10th Vol Barnes has guided to the NBA, including eight draftees and four first-rounders in the last six drafts.
Knecht, who transferred from Northern Colorado, became the 10th Volunteer to win SEC Player of the Year and the first to win the Julius Erving Award for the nation’s best small forward.
In his lone season at Tennessee, Knecht scored 780 points, averaging 21.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. His 25.5 points per game in SEC play was the second-best in 22 seasons.
Knecht had seven 30-point games this season, including five of the top nine single-game point totals by an SEC player. He averaged 24.8 points on 50.8% shooting in road games.
