Dalton Knecht Should NOT Be In Top-Ten Discussions

Dalton Knecht should in no way, shape, nor form be in discussions for a top ten selection in the 2024 Draft.

Say all you want about the class being ‘weak’, Knecht simply doesn’t have the upside to warrant a top ten pick. And no, it’s not just because he is already twenty-three years of age.

Knecht can’t guard anyone right now. In my opinion, at his very peak, he is still a far below average one-one-one defender, and a subpar system defender. Despite his strong physical tools, Knecht has never averaged over 0.8 steals nor blocks at any level. Why is that important when he is one of the best volume offensive players in the draft? Well take a look around the league. Every contending team has a wing who is capable of not just scoring the ball, but consistently getting stops at the other end.

Think Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Aaron Gordon, Derick Jones Jr, Jaden McDaniels, OG Anunoby, Lu Dort. It is simply a necessity in the modern game.

On top of that, he is a terrible playmaker. Don’t be fooled by his name folks, he is not a Knecht-ive piece on offense. In an NBA system, the ball will stop with him. Knecht has a usage rate of over 32%. He averages just 1.8 assists per game.

And I’m not all that convinced his offense is able to translate all that well either. Aside from his perimeter shooting, Knecht relies on being stronger than opponents to attack and score off the dribble. That might work against opponents four-to-five years younger than you, but that will not fly in the NBA.

So here is the conclusion I have come to: Dalton Knecht is a poor defender, whom the defense can (and no doubt will) attack every time down the floor. He can’t create shots for others. He will struggle to create shots for himself at the next level. But my word can he shoot the heck out of the basketball.

Let me be clear; that is a valuable trait in todays game. Teams need someone to ‘shoot the heck out of the basketball’, no doubt. I also believe he will be in for a very long and effective NBA career - as a role player. But to spend a top-ten pick on someone to play a single role? One that you can find a guy in free agency to perform for a minimum contract?

The teams that have been linked to him so far are the Charlotte Hornets, Portland Trailblazers, San Antonio Spurs, and the Memphis Grizzlies. My question to those franchises: are you really comfortable with your reward for twelve months of sucking being a guy you could find on a minimum deal yesterday, tomorrow and the day after that?