The Los Angeles Lakers have found some surprising success by placing rookie Dalton Knecht in the starting lineup after an injury to Rui Hachimura. Next to LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves, Knecht has seen an expedited development process. He already has a 37-point game under his ledger and he tied a rookie NBA record with nine made threes in that game.
And one of the reasons for his quick success has been his chemistry on and off the floor with Reaves. The two had a pre-existing relationship before Knecht’s time with the Lakers, and it is showing in the stat sheet. The pair has a 7.9 net rating in the four games since Knecht moved to the starting lineup, which is the best of any two-man combo on the Lakers that has played at least 60 minutes over the four-game span.
Part of what makes Knecht feel empowered to shoot at will and play his game is his relationship with Reaves, as he knows he is sharing the court with someone who has confidence in him.
“Austin, like I’ve said before multiple times, he texted me throughout my time at Tennessee so having him there, I can ask him any question and he’s always there to help me out. Me and him shoot after practice ends every single day. When you have a guy like that that’s been in the league and does stuff like what I did, a guy that always stays confident in me and wants me to shoot the ball, it’s always good.”
Reaves, meanwhile, had fun watching Knecht have his welcome to the NBA moment in the 37-point game. And he spoke about his point of view on their relationship.
“It was phenomenal. I was sitting on the bench in the fourth and honestly I thought I was gonna stay sitting on the bench in the fourth…
“But no, like I said on the radio out there, if you watched him in college, you know what he’s capable of. When he sees a couple of his first shots go in, he can get in that mode where he’s unconscious. I kind of expect it from him because I’ve watched him a lot. So we’ll just continue to encourage him to do what he does.”
Reaves went into detail on what advice he would give Knecht moving forward, but didn’t have much given where the young forward is already at.
“To be honest, I don’t think he needs any advice,” Reaves said. “Like I was talking about yesterday, he’s a killer. You challenge him with something and he accepts any challenge that you throw at him. It can be anything, it can be guard better, whatever it is he’s gonna take the challenge head on.
“There was multiple times JJ was like ‘Are you ready to shoot?’ And he was like ‘I’m always ready to shoot.’ So he’s got a really good mindset for how he plays the game and like I said, he could have nights like he was tonight and get unconscious and win us games. That’s kind of what I expect him to do.”
Knecht and Reaves’ relationship should only grow as the two play together more often. They are both strong fits next to James and Davis and provide perfect complements to each other on the offensive end.
Anthony Davis: Dalton Knecht has put league on notice
Knecht is shooting 46.4% from 3-point range on the year, but over the last four contests he has been unconscious at 67.7% from deep. Many felt the Lakers got a steal when Knecht fell to them in the draft and it is proving to be a fact with Davis believing the rookie has put the league on notice with what he is capable of.
“I mean, we all knew what he could do,” Davis added. “He’s more of a veteran player than a lot of rookies just because of his extended college career. We knew that he could play. Just watching him play at Tennessee and we were actually watching him play in here a couple times before games so we knew what he was able to do. Obviously it’s a different translation when you come into the league but he seemed to adapt.
“His confidence is very high, even coming to camp and Summer League. He’s been phenomenal. Hopefully he can keep it going. He always talks about not getting foul calls but he’ll start getting fouls for sure. I know he has for sure put the league on notice. Not just shooting the ball but the way he’s playing in general.”
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!