Los Angeles Lakers unveil jersey number for Dalton Knecht
Dalton Knecht will wear jersey No. 4 for the Los Angeles Lakers. On Friday the Lakers unveiled the jersey numbers for their two picks in the NBA Draft, with Bronny James wearing jersey No. 9 after being picked at No. 55 overall, selected in the second round.
Knecht starred at Tennessee while wearing jersey No. 3. He wore jersey No. 5 at Northern Colorado, before transferring to the Vols, and wore jersey No. 2 at Northeastern junior college in Colorado, where he started his collegiate career.
Knecht, who entered the draft widely projected as a top-10 pick, slid to No. 17 overall before being selected by the Lakers in the first round. He’s the eighth Tennessee player drafted during the Rick Barnes era dating back to the 2019 NBA Draft and is the fourth first-round pick during that span.
“We would have never imagined a player as skilled and sort of perfect for our needs would be there for us, as Dalton Knecht (was),” Rob Pelinka, LA’s director of basketball operations and general manager, said Wednesday night after the draft.
“We had him as a top-10 player unanimously across our scout boards … just couldn’t be happier.”
Dalton Knecht’s projected rookie contract
The 6-foot-6, 213-pound Knecht exploded in his one and only season at Tennessee. He was a consensus First Team All-American and the SEC Player of the Year after averaging 21.7 points per game and 25.5 points in SEC play.
Sports business website Sportico projects Knecht to get $18.5 million over four years on his rookie contract, including $7.9 million guaranteed over the first two years of the deal.
Entering draft day on Wednesday, Knecht was widely projected to be a top-10 pick according to most mock drafts. The Charlotte Hornets at the No. 6 overall pick was a popular destination, as was the No. 8 pick to the San Antonio Spurs and the No. 9 pick to the Memphis Grizzlies.
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Tennessee NBA Draft picks during the Rick Barnes era
Knecht is the eighth Tennessee player to be drafted during the Rick Barnes era, dating back to the 2019 NBA Draft, and is the highest pick during that span.
Keon Johnson was selected at No. 21 overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2021 NBA Draft, followed Jaden Springer at No. 28 overall to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Julian Phillips was selected in the second round, at No. 35 overall, by the Chicago Bulls in last year’s draft. Kennedy Chandler slid to the second round in 2022, taken at No. 38 overall by the Memphis Grizzlies.
Tennessee had three players selected in the 2019 NBA Draft. Grant Williams went at No. 22 overall to the Boston Celtics, Admiral Schofield went at No. 42 overall to the Washington Wizards and Jordan Bone was one of the final picks, at No. 57 to the Detroit Pistons.
