New Lakers head coach JJ Redick has been instructing Dalton Knecht longer than he would possibly notice.
Knecht was taken with the seventeenth general choose on Day 1 of the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday, becoming a member of the Lakers group after taking part in for the College of Tennessee final season.
Whereas Redick is barely formally a number of days into his new job as the pinnacle coach of the Lakers, the 15-year NBA veteran had already been unknowingly passing alongside information to Knecht whereas he was nonetheless in faculty.
“That’s actually thrilling,” Knecht informed reporters after being chosen at Barclays Heart. “At Tennessee, I watched loads of JJ Redick with coach [Rick] Barnes and simply the best way he strikes and paces himself and was in a position to create house. He earned that. It’s actually thrilling and it’s going to be actual particular.”
Knecht, who performed two seasons at Northern Colorado, involves the Lakers as a badly wanted sharpshooter for the franchise after capturing 46.1 % from the sphere throughout his last season with the Volunteers, averaging 21.7 factors per recreation.
Knecht additionally shot 40 % from 3-point vary.
He has averaged no less than 20 factors per recreation over the previous two seasons.
Whereas the Lakers draft choose is clearly a fan of Redick, he has others already contained in the Lakers locker room, together with LeBron James.
Knecht was referred to as out by title by James earlier this yr when he was discussing why basketball followers watch video games for sure gamers.
The clip resurfaced and made the rounds after Knecht was chosen by the Lakers within the first spherical.
“I keep in mind that clip, I wakened, rolled away from bed and thought that was pretend as a result of tons of individuals have been texting me. I used to be like, ‘there’s no manner,’” Knecht stated, in line with The Athletic.
The choose by the Lakers was considered by many as a steal for what Los Angeles wanted.
