New Lakers head coach JJ Redick has been instructing Dalton Knecht longer than he might realize.
Knecht was taken with the 17th overall pick on Day 1 of the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday, joining the Lakers organization after playing for the University of Tennessee last season.
While Redick is only officially a few days into his new job as the head coach of the Lakers, the 15-year NBA veteran had already been unknowingly passing along knowledge to Knecht while he was still in college.
“That’s really exciting,” Knecht told reporters after being selected at Barclays Center. “At Tennessee, I watched a lot of JJ Redick with coach [Rick] Barnes and just the way he moves and paces himself and was able to create space. He earned that. It’s really exciting and it’s going to be real special.”
Knecht, who played two seasons at Northern Colorado, comes to the Lakers as a badly needed sharpshooter for the franchise after shooting 46.1 percent from the field during his final season with the Volunteers, averaging 21.7 points per game.
Knecht also shot 40 percent from 3-point range.
He has averaged at least 20 points per game over the past two seasons.
While the Lakers draft pick is clearly a fan of Redick, he has others already inside the Lakers locker room, including LeBron James.
Knecht was called out by name by James earlier this year when he was discussing why basketball fans watch games for certain players.
The clip resurfaced and made the rounds after Knecht was selected by the Lakers in the first round.
“I remember that clip, I woke up, rolled out of bed and thought that was fake because tons of people were texting me. I was like, ‘there’s no way,’” Knecht said, according to The Athletic.
The pick by the Lakers was viewed by many as a steal for what Los Angeles needed.