2024 NBA Mock Draft: Timberwolves grab seasoned prospect, Wizards reach for center
By Austin McGee
11. Chicago Bulls - Dalton Knecht, Tennessee
Vying for the title of the best shooter in the draft, Tennessee's Dalton Knecht is a late bloomer. Already 23 years old, Knecht began his career playing for Northeastern Junior College in Colorado before finishing his junior and senior seasons in the Big Sky Conference.
Knecht transferred to the University of Tennessee for a fifth and final season after averaging 20.2 points for Northern Colorado. Despite spending most of his collegiate career on lesser-known squads, Knecht's best skill proved easily transferable to a major Division I program.
The former Volunteer is a knockdown 3-point shooter and advanced scorer. He buried 2.6 triples per game at a 39.7 percent clip as a senior at Tennessee. Knecht also showed a knack for drawing fouls. He averaged 5.7 free throw attempts per contest.
The sharpshooting wing's fit on the Chicago Bulls is interesting. The Bulls' best players are wings in DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine. However, Chicago is seemingly always wanting to compete and Knecht is the best prospect available at number 11.
DeRozan and former fourth-overall pick Patrick Williams are both free agents. The question is, does Chicago re-sign both players, just one of them, or let both walk? No matter what, Knecht is an intriguing fit on the roster and one of the more refined players in the draft.