Rick Barnes explains why Dalton Knecht's stock will keep rising during NBA Draft process
Mock drafts project Tennessee star Dalton Knecht anywhere from No. 2 overall to No. 13 in the NBA Draft, as one of the top picks in the draft or one of the final picks in the draft lottery.
“I think a lot will depend on what he does as he goes in with his interviews and all that,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said during Tuesday night’s Big Orange Caravan stop in Nashville.
Knecht was one of 78 players to receive an invite to next week’s NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. Barnes knows when Knecht starts meeting with teams, NBA personnel will see exactly what the Vols saw this season.
“He’s put himself in a good position and we’ve heard different ranges on it,” Barnes said, “but if it is left up to him, he’ll do his work like he always does.”
Dalton Knecht last season: 21.7 pints per game, eight games with 30 or more points
Knecht, the one-and-done transfer from Northern Colorado, averaged 21.7 points per game while starring at Tennessee this season. He scored 30 or more points eight times during his 36 games with the Vols, 37 or more five times, had two 39-point games and a career-high 40 on his senior day against Kentucky.
He scored 20 or more points 19 times and scored 25 or more points 13 times.
“He knows how to prepare, train like a pro,” Barnes said. “He’s got that figured out.”
NBA teams already seem to be aware of just how good Knecht can be in the league, considering him to be one of the top-ten prospects in this summer’s draft.
According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, “the NBA sent teams a composite ranking of the Top-10 draft prospects, as determined by a blend of publicly available rankings, a panel of experts and a retained scouting service.”
‘He’s really just getting started to how good a basketball player he can be’
“Knecht emerged as Tennessee’s go-to scorer after transferring from Northern Colorado,” ESPN’s Jeremy Woo wrote at the time, “putting himself on the map as a first-round pick while carrying the Volunteers.
“He was not on the radar this time a year ago but legitimized himself with three-level scoring instincts and the ability to shoot off screens as well as off the bounce.”
According to Barnes, Knecht’s stock will only rise as the NBA’s pre-draft process plays out. After all, Knecht is just getting started.
“Once people really get to know him and talk to him,” Barnes said, “they’re going to look at him as a guy that realizes like we do, that he’s really just getting started to how good a basketball player he can be.”
