The Los Angeles Lakers got an electrifying performance from No. 17 overall pick Dalton Knecht on Thursday night against the Phoenix Suns. The rookie dropped 35 points, including 20 straight to end the fourth quarter and begin overtime and a game-tying shot in regulation, in what was his coming out party for the Lakers this preseason.
It was an absolute joy for anyone to watch, as he cemented himself as a legitimate rotation player from the get-go of his career. Fans and players alike got to witness a huge moment in a young player’s first professional season, and perhaps no one was more excited than Lakers guard Austin Reaves.
Reaves was once the standout rookie staking his claim for minutes in the rotation with unexpected performances. He also knows Knecht and has gotten to form an early bond with him at the start of his career. So he was elated to see the young rookie put on a show against the Suns, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“Man, it’s honestly just pure excitement. As a teammate, you want your teammates to be successful and for him to go out there and put on a performance like that in that second half was unreal to watch. I almost hit a hole-in-one the other day, I hit it off the pin, and that excitement that I had then, I had it for that whole fourth quarter. It’s beautiful, you see how much work that he puts in every single day. He’s hunting people down right after practice to shoot, so you tip your hat to a guy like that and I expected all of those shots to go in, to be honest.”
Reaves felt what every Lakers fan watching was feeling when Knecht was at the height of his hot streak. It truly felt as though he couldn’t miss and was going to single-handedly beat the Suns, which he effectively did in overtime.
These are incredible moments not just for the confidence of a young rookie, but also for the team’s confidence in that rookie. Moving forward, players like LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Reaves know that in crunch time, they have another player they can trust in Knecht.
Dalton Knecht wasn’t worried about shooting percentages
Through four games Knecht was shooting 21-for-54 from the field (38.9%) and 10-of-37 (27.0%) beyond the arc.
Shooting numbers are going to ebb and flow over the course of a season, especially for a rookie. And that is why Knecht was not concerned about the early percentage struggles as long as the shot quality is strong.
“I thought all of my shots were great looks, no matter [the result]. I know all of my teammates trust me to shoot it, so it’s just finding my rhythm, shooting, and that’s it.”
