Tennessee guard Dalton Knecht is among the first wave of NBA Draft green room invites. Knecht was one of 12 players to receive invites on Tuesday night, perhaps signalling his status as a likely lottery pick.
Knecht will be able to have six people come with him to the draft, where he’ll sit and wait for commissioner Adam Silver to call his name. The first round will take place in Brooklyn at Barclays Center.
Knecht will more than likely become Rick Barnes highest draft pick during his tenure at Tennessee. Keon Johnson went 21st overall, Grant Williams went 22nd and Jaden Springer went 28th. Of course, Barnes is no stranger to lottery picks. During his time at Texas, Barnes saw Kevin Durant and Lamarcus Aldridge go second overall, Tristan Thompson fourth, DJ Augustin ninth and Myles Turner go 11th. Chris Mihm and TJ Ford also went inside of the top ten.
Now Knecht, who played just one spectacular season with Barnes in Knoxville, gets to add to that legacy. The 6-6 guard averaged 21.7 points per game, shooting a whopping 39 percent from three-point range. His ability to take over a game was special, as evidenced by his six 35+ point outings.
He’s viewed as a polished offensive player that needs a little work defensively. Knecht will bring instant scoring to the table though, which will be valued in what seems like a weaker class. He’s expected to go anywhere in the 6-14 range.
The 2024 NBA Draft is set to begin on June 26th at 8 p.m. ET.
2024 NBA Draft Green Room Invites (so far)
Zaccharie Risacher
Alex Sarr
Donovan Clingan
Reed Sheppard
Matas Buzelis
Stephon Castle
Dalton Knecht
Tidjane Salaun
Ron Holland
Cody Williams
Devin Carter
Ja’Kobe Walter