Dalton Knecht ranked No. 16 on The Athletic's NBA Draft Big Board
Dalton Knecht is the 16th best prospect in the NBA Draft according to The Athletic’s NBA Draft Big Board, with Sam Vecenie ranking the top 100 prospects in the draft.
“Tennessee wing Dalton Knecht has flashed as a big-time scorer,” Vecenie wrote on Wednesday, “with his 37 points in Chapel Hill against North Carolina opening eyes in a big way after a standout Maui Invitational.”
Knecht had 10 points, three rebounds and two assists in 25 minutes in No. 17 Tennessee’s 87-66 win over George Mason Tuesday night at Thompson-Boling Arena.
He has scored in double-figures in all eight games this season and is averaging 19.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 30.3 minutes per game. He’s shooting 39.% from the 3-point line and 49.1% from the field.
Dalton Knecht projected as No. 40 overall pick in ESPN’s NBA mock draft
Last week Knecht was projected as the 40th overall pick in the NBA Draft in ESPN’s latest mock draft.
Knecht entered Tuesday’s game averaging 20.3 points per game while shooting 50.5% from the field and 40.5% from the 3-point line. He did so despite facing Purdue, Kansas and North Carolina in back-to-back-to-back games to end the November schedule.
“Only (one) high-major team (Marquette) has faced tougher defensive opposition this season than Tennessee, according to KenPom,” Vecenie wrote. “Knecht has thrived despite that schedule, averaging 20 points, five rebounds and two assists per game while shooting 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3 and 82 percent from the line.”
In three true road games against Power 5 competition — the exhibition win at Michigan State on October 29, the win at Wisconsin on November 10 and last week’s trip to Carolina — Knecht has combined for 89 points on just 48 shots.
His 37 points at North Carolina came on 13-for-17 shooting from the floor. He made a season-high four 3-pointers and went 7-for-8 at the foul line. He scored 22 in the second half alone, making 8 of 9 shots.
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‘He’s a good vertical athlete at the rim and also has the ability to change his finishing angle’
Knecht had 24 points in the 80-70 win at Wisconsin, going 8-for-15 from the floor, 1-for-4 from the 3-point line and 7-for-9 at the foul line.
He had 28 at Michigan State in his unofficial debut, going 8-for-16 from the floor, 3-for-9 from the 3-point line and 9-for-11 at the foul line.
Knecht scored 17 in the season-opening win over Tennessee Tech on November 6, had 18 against Wofford on November 14 and combined for 46 points over three games in the Maui Invitational, against Syracuse (17), Purdue (16) and Kansas (13).
“The Vols run (Knecht) off all sorts of movement and actions early in their sets to find him open shots,” Vecenie wrote, “and they’ll occasionally use him as a mismatch post threat or allow him to lead the break. He’s a good vertical athlete at the rim and also has the ability to change his finishing angle on rim protectors in midair.
“Scouts are still trying to get a handle on just how big of a project he’ll be on defense, but his mentality and fearlessness at Maui and in Chapel Hill had scouts in attendance raving.”
