Every year, the NBA's best shooting teams make their mark in the regular season and ultimately the NBA Playoffs.
Ever since the Golden State Warriors popularized the 3-point shot, there have been few NBA champions who couldn't shoot it at a decent rate.
So far in their rebuild, the Houston Rockets have struggled mightily in this category, ranking 23rd out of 30 teams in outside shooting in the 2023-24 regular season rankings.
In ESPN's latest mock draft, coach Jonathan Givony has the Rockets select Tennessee sharpshooter Dalton Knecht, one of the top scorers in college basketball last season.
In 36 games with the Vols, Knecht averaged an impressive 21.7 points per game and, most importantly, made 40% of his 6.5 3-point attempts per game.
Most of Knecht's offense comes from intentional off-ball plays, such as pop-ups off screens and spot-ups. But Knecht is a slim 6-foot-6 with athleticism above the rim while also being plenty capable of creating his own shot.
In Houston's system, the former JUCO product thrived, drawn to the space created by Jaylen Green and Armen Thompson, and moved around with Alperen Sengun directing the offense. Knecht's ability to create himself with the ball on the floor would be a great bonus for the Rockets.
If Houston wants to go with an offense-based style over a defense-based style, Knecht could easily slot into the starting lineup at No. 3. But he could just as easily bring his off-ball skill set off the bench.
Either way, the Rockets will be looking to acquire win-now talent in 2024 to help next season's campaign.
