Where Tennessee Vols guard Dalton Knecht lands in latest NBA mock draft from The Athletic

Tennessee Vols guard Dalton Knecht probably isn't going to win national player of year honors, despite being in the conversation. 

And that's probably a good thing for Tennessee. 

For the Vols to be at their best, they don't need Knecht carrying the load every single night and having to score 30-plus points. Knecht is obviously more than capable of carrying that load, but Tennessee is at its best when everyone is sharing the load. 

But while Knecht, who transferred to Tennessee from Northern Colorado ahead of the 2023-24 season, likely isn't winning national player of the year honors, he's still expected to be a hot commodity in the NBA draft later this summer. 

The Athletic, in fact, thinks Knecht will be a top 10 selection. The latest mock draft from The Athletic has the Atlanta Hawks selecting Knecht with the No. 10 overall pick.

From The Athletic: Everything he does offensively should translates to NBA settings. He is a terrific shooter but is also a high-end athlete who can sky in transition and finish inside using legitimate hang time in the air.

The issues come on defense. Knecht is rough around the edges on that end and consistently makes errors that lead to problems for Tennessee. But I tend to buy into these late bloomers, especially those who can really shoot and possess legitimate NBA athleticism. Knecht’s range is somewhere No. 10-20 for scouts right now.

If Knecht had a couple of more years in Rick Barnes' system at Tennessee, there probably wouldn't be as many questions surrounding his defense (that's a hallmark of a Barnes-coached team). 

Then again, it's not like most NBA players are playing lockdown defense these days. If a team believes in Knecht's ability to score at the next level, it seems unlikely that they'll pass on him due to questions about his defense.