Just recently, former NBA star JJ Redick was named as the Los Angeles Lakers’ new head coach. As it stands, the franchise’s latest rookie, Dalton Knecht, boasts a game that resembles the former Duke star when he was still playing in the league.
Knecht is a guard with a knack for scoring from deep and was recently drafted by the Lakers in the 2024 NBA draft. He had an impressive college career, playing for Northeastern Junior College, Northern Colorado, and Tennessee.
At Northeastern JC, Knecht averaged 13.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game as a freshman. He then improved significantly as a sophomore, averaging 23.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2 assists per game.
Knecht then transferred to Northern Colorado, where he had a solid junior season, averaging 8.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. As a senior, he led the Big Sky Conference in scoring, averaging 20.2 points per game while also grabbing 7.2 rebounds per contest.
After his senior season, Knecht decided to utilize the extra year of eligibility granted due to the COVID-19 pandemic and transferred to Tennessee for the 2023-24 season. He had an outstanding year, being named SEC Player of the Year by both the league’s coaches and the Associated Press. Knecht also earned SEC Newcomer of the Year honors and was a consensus first-team All-American.
Skip Bayless Likens Rookie Dalton Knecht to Los Angeles Lakers Head Coach JJ Redick
Knecht’s impressive college career culminated in him being selected by Los Angeles with the 17th overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft. For his part, sports analyst Skip Bayless compared him to his new head coach in a tweet he posted on X.
“Maybe JJRedick’s Lakers just drafted a JJRedick,” Bayless tweeted.
As it stands, Knecht connected 38 percent of his 5.5 attempts from downtown in college. For his part, Redick had a 41 percent success rate from deep over the course of his NBA career.
Hopefully, Knecht will develop into the shooter LeBron James and the Lakers need for the upcoming season. If he does, Redick will have an easier time coaching the team to victory.
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