Austin Reaves talks about the origins of the relationship with Dalton Knecht and excitement when the Lakers drafted him

Dalton Knecht was considered one of the biggest steals in this year’s draft when he fell to the Los Angeles Lakers with the 17th overall pick. And recently, he’s started to come into his own after a bit of a slow start, giving the Lakers the offensive boost off the bench that the team needs.

He’s also loved his teammates and the coaches, all of whom have spoken highly of him since the offseason. But perhaps his closest relationship is with guard Austin Reaves.

In fact, this stretches back to Knecht’s time in college at the University of Tennessee, when Reaves revealed that he noticed his play there and began texting him after games.

“I happened to see him one day going crazy doing what he did in college, and obviously I was very impressed with the way he scores the ball,” Reaves said after practice Monday. “The way he wished his Tennessee team a lot of wins was special and I like to show my respect when I really like guys that have a lot of talent and he’s one of those guys .I wanted to write to him after the games I saw and congratulate him on the accolades he gave.

Reaves and many others were impressed with Knecht’s season at Tennessee, where he would win SEC Player of the Year. Most expected Knecht to be drafted in the top 10, but as he continued to decline and eventually the Lakers were on the board, Reaves felt the pick was obvious.

“It was crazy. I don’t know if I’d say I saw, but I was kind of paying attention and didn’t see his name come up on the board, I was like, ‘Hmm, what’s going on?'” Reaves noted.

“And then it kept getting to 13, 14, 15, and I was like, as soon as it got to us at 5 p.m., in my brain it was a no-brainer. I don’t know what the process upstairs was, but if i was a betting man i can’t bet but if i was it would have been my choice i texted him that night congratulating him and ever since then we’ve been gunning training together and created a relationship. He’s a good boy.”

Reaves and the Lakers were on the same page when they quickly made the choice to bring Knecht to the purple and gold, and things are working out great so far.

The first year in the NBA can be very difficult, but building relationships helps ease that transition and make players more comfortable. For Knecht, having that relationship with Reaves is a bonus, and there’s no doubt both are happy he’s here with the Lakers now.

Anthony Davis believes every shot Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht takes goes in

Dalton Knecht has the full confidence of all his teammates as a shooter, and for the most part, he’s proven them right. Lakers superstar Anthony Davis recently spoke about this, saying he believes every shot Knecht takes goes in.

“Every time he shoots the ball, I think it goes in, that’s why we get so frustrated and upset when he doesn’t shoot,” Davis said of Knecht. “He’s a great player. He can defend, he can shoot, he can lay it on the floor, he can pass, so he can do it all. But when he has his stretches where he gets hot, it’s a big boost for our team and we’re able to feed off that energy and most of the time we run from it.”

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