"This is the pick they were supposed to get" - Stephen A. Smith approves the Lakers' selection of Dalton Knecht

The Los Angeles Lakers were surprised to see Dalton Knecht's name still on the board when they were on the clock at No. 17 in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft. As such, choosing which rookie to bring in was a no-brainer.

The move has thrilled many people who believe that the Lakers would benefit from having an NBA-ready 23-year-old rookie who was a consensus All-American. Stephen A. Smith is among those who are ecstatic for Los Angeles.

Knecht's fans in the Lakers organization

The swingman turned a lot of heads in the recent NCAA Tournament after he led the University of Tennessee-Knoxville to an Elite Eight appearance. In the 2023-24 season, he averaged 21.7 points per game while shooting 49.9% from the field and 39.7% from 3-point land.

One of his signature games in March Madness was scoring 37 in the Volunteers' loss to the first-seeded Purdue University. That performance even earned a shoutout from LeBron James. And if things go according to plan, Knecht would be teammates with one of the greatest players of all time.

Aside from James, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka is also a fan of the sharpshooter. The executive even claimed that if his team had an earlier pick, it would have still used it on Knecht.

"If we would have had the 10th pick in the draft, we would have taken him," Pelinka said . "So, to get that value at 17 is really extraordinary."

Now, it's up to coach JJ Redick to find ways how to maximize the North Dakota native's strengths. That hopefully wouldn't be a problem, given that he and Knecht have plenty of similarities, including making a name for themselves as a movement shooter.

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Knecht's inspiring journey to the NBA

The chance to play for one of the league's marquee franchises should be vindication for Knecht after he was a zero-star recruit after finishing high school in Colorado. He had to go through the junior college route before finding an opportunity with the University of Northern Colorado in 2021.

Two seasons later, he transferred to Tennessee. In an incredible twist of fate, he earned the SEC Player of the Year award in his lone campaign with the Volunteers.

Only time will tell if Knecht can continue to play meaningful minutes on the professional stage. However, given that one of Los Angeles' weaknesses last season was 3-point scoring, his odds of securing a spot in the rotation should be high.

Related: “I can have a vision, but there has to be buy-in and collaboration” - JJ Redick on how he plans to utilize LeBron James and Anthony Davis