National media outlet has strong opinion on Lakers' selection of Tennessee's Dalton Knecht in 2024 NBA Draft

Tennessee Vols guard Dalton Knecht wasn't a lottery pick on night one of the 2024 NBA Draft as many expected him to be, but he was still a top 20 selection.

The Los Angeles Lakers drafted Knecht with the No. 17 overall pick , sending the former Vols star to the west coast to play with future Hall of Famer LeBron James.

ESPN's Jonathan Givony said during the broadcast of the draft on Wednesday night that Knecht fell in the draft in part because of his age (Knecht turned 23 in April).

Despite Knecht's age, On3's James Fletcher loved the Lakers' selection of Knecht. Fletcher graded each pick from the first round of the draft and he gave Los Angeles an A+ for drafting Knecht.

From On3 : Grade: A+ The No. 6 ranked prospect falls all the way to the Los Angeles Lakers, with his age reportedly a concern. That is no issue for this franchise, which gets a best-case scenario by landing the most NBA-ready offensive weapon to space the floor around LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Dalton Knecht left no doubt that he can score the basketball at any level. Upping his production while moving from Northern Colorado to Tennessee makes him one of the highest floor players on offense. The 6-foot-6 wing will now go head-to-head with athletic defenders more often in the NBA, giving him another area to grow. He improved defensively, but still has questions to answer on that end as well.

Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka told reporters on Wednesday night that Los Angeles "would have never imagined" that a player as skilled as Knecht would fall to them at No. 17.

Pelinka also said that the Lakers had Knecht graded as a top 10 prospect on their draft board.

It certainly sounds like Knecht should get a chance to contribute early with the Lakers.

Related: Peyton Manning, Rick Barnes, Josh Heupel, and Morgan Wallen watching final out of College World Series is a must-watch for Vols fans