NBA Mock Draft: OKC Thunder Select Sharpshooting Wing Dalton Knecht in Lottery

In a recent NBA Mock Draft, Oklahoma City used its lottery selection to add one of the top college basketball players in the nation.

Tennessee guard Dalton Knecht (3) walks off the court after an NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game / Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA

While the NBA Playoffs rage on, the Oklahoma City Thunder are in a unique situation.

Not only does OKC have one of the youngest teams in the league and the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, Sam Presti and company also have another lottery pick this summer, giving the team another opportunity to add a valuable role player.

Following this version of the Thunder's first playoff run together, Presti and head coach Mark Daigneault will be able to evaluate which prospects can help Oklahoma City sustain its success heading into the 2024-25 season.

In a recent mock draft published by On3, James Fletcher III slotted Tennessee wing Dalton Knecht to OKC at pick No. 12.

In his fifth year of college basketball, Knecht had a remarkable season for the Volunteers, averaging 21.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game and shooting 39.7% from 3-point range on 6.5 attempts per contest.

With strong perimeter shot-making ability, good positional size and decent rebounding skills, Knecht seems like he would fit with Daigneault's offensive system. With multiple players who are already reliable shooters, the former Vols standout could give the team another sharpshooter off the bench.

Additionally, veteran wing Gordon Hayward is in the final year of his contract, meaning that Knecht could step into the Thunder's rotation in place of Hayward if the team chooses not to resign the 34-year-old.

Knecht earned consensus All-American honors and was named SEC Player of the Year for his efforts during the 2023-24 season. The Littleton, CO, product helped lead Tennessee to the Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament, but the Volunteers ended up falling to Zach Edey and Purdue.

Prior to his lone year in Knoxville, Knecht spent two years at Northern Colorado, averaging just 8.9 points per game in 2021-22 before tallying over 20 points and seven rebounds per game the next season.

Knecht spent two years at Northeastern Junior College in Colorado before transferring to Northern Colorado.

Knecht's biggest question mark is his defensive ability, which seems to be a very important trait to Presti when evaluating and selecting draft prospects. If the Thunder's GM believes that Knecht's defensive concerns can be remedied, however, there are other aspects of his game that would make him a solid fit in the Modern Frontier.

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