The NBA season is approaching the All-Star break and VFL Dalton Knecht garnered a Rising Stars Challenge invitation, becoming the first University of Tennessee alumnus to do so. The game, a part of NBA All-Star Weekend, is set for Feb. 14 at 9 p.m. ET at Chase Center in San Francisco.
The latest update of Vols in the pros, including those in the EuroLeague and EuroCup, can be found below.
Information aided by Eurobasket LLC.
VOLS IN THE NBA
Tobias Harris | Detroit Pistons | at Tennessee 2010-11
45 GP, 45 GS, 12.7 PPG, 32 MPG, 44.0 FG%, 33.5 3FG%, 6.2 RPG, 2.4 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.8 BPG
The longest-tenured VFL in the NBA, Harris is in the midst of his 14th season and is averaging 12-plus points per game for the 12th year in a row. The veteran presence, who has appeared in all but two games, has helped Detroit meet or exceed its win total in each of the last five seasons, through just 47 contests. Harris has scored 16-plus points on 15 occasions this year, as well as recorded four double-doubles.
Keon Johnson | Brooklyn Nets | at Tennessee 2020-21
46 GP, 26 GS, 9.4 PPG, 22.5 MPG, 37.3 FG%, 29.1 3FG%, 3.2 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Now in his fourth year in the NBA, Johnson is having his finest year yet as a pro. He has played in all but two games for the Nets, already setting career highs in appearances and starts. Johnson is putting up career-best averages in nearly every statistical category and owns 19 double-digit scoring totals, including five of 20-plus. He had back-to-back 20-point games earlier this month, recording 20 on 9-of-16 shooting Jan. 22 versus Phoenix and then 22 two nights later against Miami.
Dalton Knecht | Los Angeles Lakers | at Tennessee 2023-24
45 GP, 12 GS, 9.5 PPG, 20.9 MPG, 46.4 FG%, 36.1 3FG%, 3.2 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.4 SPG
Putting together one of the best seasons of any rookie in the NBA, Knecht has scored 18-plus points eight times for the Lakers, who sit fifth in the Western Conference. In his last outing, Jan. 28 at Philadelphia, Knecht tallied 24 points, his third-most of the year. His season-best point total of 37 came Nov. 19 against Utah, a performance in which he went 9-of-12 from deep to tie the NBA rookie record for 3-pointers.
Julian Phillips | Chicago Bulls | at Tennessee 2022-23
47 GP, 3 GS, 4.4 PPG, 13.2 MPG, 43.8 FG%, 2.0 RPG, 0.4 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.2 BPG
A second-year pro, Phillips has played in all but one game this season for the Bulls, already exceeding his total of 40 outings as a rookie. He has scored 10 points four times in 2024-25, as well as pulled down five-plus rebounds on five occasions. His most recent 10-point showing came Jan. 15 versus Atlanta on a 4-of-5 field-goal clip.
Josh Richardson | Miami Heat | at Tennessee 2011-15
8 GP, 4 PPG, 18.6 MPG, 28.9 FG%, 27.3 3FG%, 1.5 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.0 SPG
A 10th-year NBA veteran, Richardson is in his sixth campaign with the Miami Heat, including the second of his second stint. However, he has not played since Nov. 18 due to a right heel injury. Before that, Richardson appeared in eight of the first 13 games of the year.
Jaden Springer | Boston Celtics | at Tennessee 2020-21
24 GP, 1.9 PPG, 5.6 MPG, 37.5 FG%, 1.0 RPG, 0.4 APG, 0.5 SPG
A reigning NBA champion, Springer has helped the Celtics to the second-best record in the Eastern Conference this year. The fourth-year veteran has played in half the team’s games, including each of the past five, and logged his top two scoring performances within the past eight days. Springer had eight points in a season-high 20 minutes Jan. 22 and then scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting in nine minutes the next night, both in Los Angeles, respectively against the Clippers and Lakers.
Grant Williams | Charlotte Hornets | at Tennessee 2016-19
16 GP, 7 GS, 10.4 PPG, 29.9 MPG, 43.9 FG%, 5.1 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.8 BPG
Competing for his hometown team, Williams had 12-plus points six times in a nine-game stretch in November, before suffering a season-ending injury. The two-time SEC Player of the Year has not played since Nov. 23 after tearing ligaments in his right knee.
