Why not Dalton Knecht at #7?
He's not my 1st, or even my 2nd choice, but let's lay out a realistic scenario:
The Spurs take Castle. Risacher is taken top 3. Buzelis goes after Castle. Schmitz then has to choose between upside (Holland, Williams) and the only immediate firepower option...
The good:
**Hot take warning** Knecht,offensively, is probably better right now than Risacher will be by the time he turns 23.
- Knecht is a good fit. His off ball and movement shooting will help Scoot tremendously.
- Knecht will probably win ROY?
- Knecht is still 4-5 years from entering his prime. Yay?
- Can play passable defense in terms of positioning and on help. Won't be asked to carry an entire team, thus freeing up some energy.
- Legit 3-level scorer who plays within the flow of the offense. This should translate. He Doesn't give me Johnny Davis vibes.
- Underrated athlete. He's both crafty around the basket and capable of playing "above-the-rim."
The Bad:
- His defense is not good. Risacher and especially Holland are better right now across all metrics. He's a lot like Sharpe in that his good defensive plays stem from his athleticism.
- Age. He's a late bloomer, though. Maybe there's still some upside here.
- Not a great pull-up shooter. Only 28% on pull-up 3's and 32% on 2's. A guy like Knecht, I imagine, could fix this in a year.
- Not a big wing. I think he's as tall as Sharpe and 2" shorter wingspan.
After another year of tanking, we move Knecht to a microwave bench role and welcome Flagg, Bailey, Edgecombe or Harper into his place. Also, Knecht is the last bad defensive player I'm willing to take. From there on we prioritize good defense in anyone we trade for or draft.
