Knecht is the son of Corey and Carrie Knecht.[1] Knecht was born in Fargo, North Dakota and grew up in Thornton, Colorado, attending Prairie View High School.[2][3][4] He entered his sophomore year at 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m) and grew to 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) by his junior year.[5] Knecht averaged 21 points and 6.5 rebounds per game as a senior.[6]
College career
Knecht began his college basketball career at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colorado.[7] He grew another two inches between his senior high school season and his first season with the Plainsmen.[5] Knecht averaged 13.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game as a freshman.[8] He averaged 23.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and two assists per game as a sophomore.[9] Knecht grew another three inches during his time playing at Northeastern Junior College to bring his height to 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m).[5] He committed to transfer to Northern Colorado to continue his college career.[8]
Knecht averaged 8.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in his first season with the Northern Colorado Bears.[10] As a senior, he led the Big Sky Conference with 20.2 points per game and averaged 7.2 rebounds per game.[11] After the season, Knecht decided to utilize the extra year of eligibility granted to college athletes who played in the 2020–21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic and entered the NCAA transfer portal.[12]
Knecht transferred to Tennessee for the 2023–24 season.[13][14] He was named the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Player of the Week for the first week of the season after scoring 17 points in the Volunteers' season-opening win over Tennessee Tech and 24 points with five rebounds in a 80–70 road victory over Wisconsin on November 10, 2023.[15] Knecht scored a then-career-high 37 points in a 100–92 loss to North Carolina on November 29, 2023.[16] He was named the SEC Player of the Week a second time on January 15, 2024, after scoring 28 points in a 77–72 loss to Mississippi State and 36 points in an 85–79 win over Georgia.[17] Knecht set a then career high with 39 points in a 85–66 win over Florida on January 16, 2024.[18] On February 29, 2024, Knecht tied his then-career high with 39 points against 11th-ranked Auburn in a 92–84 win.[19] On March 9, 2024, Knecht set a new career high on senior night with 40 points in an 85–81 loss to 15th-ranked Kentucky.[20]
Knecht made his NBA debut on October 22, 2024, in a 110-103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, scoring 5 points.[25] On November 13, Knecht scored a then career-high 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field with 5-of-5 shooting from three-point range in a 128–123 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.[26] Three days later, he broke this record, scoring a then career-high 27 points along with seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals in a 104–99 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.[27] On November 19, Knecht scored a career high 37 points, including nine three-pointers, in a 124–118 victory against the Utah Jazz. He also tied the record for the most three-pointers made in a single game by a rookie in NBA history.[28]
^The Newcomer of the Year award is one of two awards presented to the top player in his first season of SEC play. The league's coaches vote on a Freshman of the Year award, restricted to players in their first season playing college basketball; this award went to Kentucky's Reed Sheppard in 2024.[21]
