Pistons Draft Crush - Dalton Knecht?
What would the Detroit Pistons be getting in the bucket getting wing at No. 5 overall?
6’6 Guard/Wing
23 Years Old (Turns 24 NEXT April)
Prairie View HS, Currently Playing for Tennessee
21.7 PPG - 4.9 RPG - 1.8 APG - 0.7 SPG - 0.6 BPG - 1.7 TOPG (30.6 MPG - 36 GP)
46% on 16.0 FGA - 40% on 6.5 3PA - 77% on 5.7 FTA
My Draft Position - Top 10 Pick
*These are my raw, and condensed, scouting report notes from watching multiple games throughout the season*
ARCHETYPE/POTENTIAL ROLE
The absolute high end ceiling outcome is a 3-level bucket getting guard/wing. He is a true off the ball player in terms of his ability to score out of these situations and lack of true on the ball creation for others. With that said, he is able to initiate his own scoring when he starts with the ball in hand and there are flashes of him taking double teams and making the right reads out of those from the college tape and the low turnover numbers should be highlighted even with the high usage. His high release and athleticism make his jump shot very hard to contest and alter. The real questions around his draft stock come from his age and defense. I have leaned towards giving him some slack defensively due to playing zone in high school and not yet having a full calendar year of high level D1 basketball experience (2 years of JUCO and 2 years of Big Sky Conference). A team's hope when drafting him is that he turns into a yearly 15-20+ point a night scorer that is at least neutral defensively with his size and some natural growth and progression.
OFFENSE
Intel is that he LOVES ball, he LOVES to be in the gym, good family around him, etc.
He has to really shoot it from 3 (this was a note coming into the season and is obviously something he has done)
Can no dip and has a high release
Doing a decent job working off screens
Feel like he does the nuance things using these very well
Comes off hip to hip (does his really well on and off the ball)
Made them in about every playtype you would want in this game
Off screen, isolation, C&S, relocation, transition
He can really score the ball from every level and is sneaky athletic
REALLY pressured the paint BUT struggled just to finish in some games early in the season
Slightly concerning that Dickinson gave him this much trouble
I have legit concerns about the rim finishing (doesn’t seem to stay on balance), this has seemingly been improved later in the season and he obviously has REAL vertical pop and explosion
Pressured the rim over and over and over vs Kentucky in regular season finale
I do like the elevation on the pull up jumper
This makes the scoring in the mid range very translatable to the next level against NBA athletes
Gets his first one blocked vs Kentucky but responds with one a few minutes later
More and more they are just putting the ball in his hands and telling him to go get a bucket
HOW MUCH CAN HE ACTUALLY TRANSLATE THE ON BALL STUFF?
This is going to be a big question to be answered in terms of his offensive role
Seems to have some good cutting instincts
Can he do this on ball isolation takeover stuff like we have seen during games in the second half of the season?
There were games where he was just unstoppable
Something to be said for the amount of usage and pressure he has taken offensively during the end of the season for this team
And still delivering the scoring production
HOW TALL IS HE?
True 6’7 with 7’0 wingspan? (this is what I have heard) He immediately looked big to me
He obviously gets listed at 6’6
Can he pass at all?
Definitely not “creation”
Although, had an AWESOME eye manipulation at end of Georgia game
Knew the play to make when getting doubled at the end of Auburn game
Maybe just drive and kick?
Even if he isn’t a high assist guy….he has taken a TON of usage without being a high turnover guy
DEFENSE
Flat out, he has to at least get to neutral
This would be a major with for him considering the question marks and how good he projects to be scoring the ball offensively
HE HAS TO DROP HIS HIPS MORE DEFENSIVELY
He is going to struggle to stay in front in isolation
He is trying to be more of a playmaker
He should be more impactful on the boards for his size and athleticism
Broadcast from the Georgia game, “that’s Knechts weakness, he lets a guy in the lane and then doesn’t box him out.”
Seems to be a tad late to shooters often
FOR THE PISTONS
Need more scoring and floor spacing around Cade Cunningham to open the court? Dalton Knecht just might be your answer. This kid has taken almost 600 3PAs in his college career (JUCO and Division One) and shot 38% on them. As I mentioned above, I believe this is the floor of his scoring contributions in the NBA. If you watched any game of Tennessee last season you know that many of these were NOT of the wide open C&S variety and you would see how often he was asked to create his own offense for that team. The assist numbers don’t pop off the page either but the low number of turnovers for his amount of usage is impressive. He has real athleticism and good elevation that should allow him to score on mid range pull ups when attacking closeouts. That athleticism gives him a chance to be a high level finisher at the rim but I will say I have some concerns with his touch. All of this combines for a legit floor spacer early in his career that could round into a three level scorer. The defense is a REAL concern but, as mentioned above, I do give him more leeway than most 23-year-olds due to his path thus far. There is a chance of him being the best player available on my Pistons specific board at No. 5 but I would feel a bit better about a trade back scenario for him to end up on this roster.