Dalton Knecht appreciates that Austin Reaves is always sure of him

The Los Angeles Lakers have found surprising success by inserting rookie Dalton Knecht into the starting lineup following an injury to Rui Hachimura. Alongside LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves, Knecht has experienced an accelerated development process. He already has a 37-point game under his ledger, and he tied a new 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 prior to Knecht’s time with the Lakers, and it shows on the stat sheet. The pair has a 7.9 net rating in the four games since Knecht moved into the starting lineup, which is the best of any two-man combination on the Lakers that has played at least 60 minutes over four games.

Part of what makes Knecht feel empowered to shoot at will and play his game is his relationship with Reaves, knowing he’s sharing the court with someone who trusts him.

“Austin, as I’ve said before several times, he texted me throughout my time at Tennessee, so when I had him there, I can ask him any question and he’s always there to help me. Me and him shooting after practice ends every single day. When you have a guy like that who’s been in the league and does things like I did, a guy who always stays confident in me and wants me to shoot the ball, that’s always good.”

Reaves, meanwhile, had fun watching Knecht get his welcome to the NBA moment in the 37-point game. And he talked about his point of view on their relationship.

“It was phenomenal. I sat on the bench in the fourth and honestly I thought I was going to stay on the bench in the fourth…

“But no, like I said on the radio out there, if you saw him in college, you know what he’s capable of. When he sees his first few shots go in, he can get in the state where he’s unconscious. I kind of expect it from him because I’ve seen him a lot. So we’re just going to keep encouraging him to do what he’s doing.”

Reaves went into detail about what advice he would pass on to Knecht, but didn’t give much away on where the young forward is already at.

“To be honest, I don’t think he needs any advice,” Reaves said. “Like I talked about yesterday, he’s a killer. You challenge him with something and he accepts any challenge you throw at him. It can be anything, it can be vaguely better, whatever he wants to take on the challenge .

“There were several times JJ said ‘Are you ready to shoot?’ And he was like, ‘I’m always ready to shoot.’ So he has a really good mindset for how he plays the game, and like I said, he could have nights like he had tonight and go 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 next to James and Davis and provide perfect complements to each other on the offensive end.

Anthony Davis: Dalton Knecht has put the league on notice

Knecht is shooting 46.4% from 3-point range on the year, but over the last four contests, he’s been an abysmal 67.7% from deep. Many felt the Lakers got a steal when Knecht fell to them in the draft, and that turns out to be a fact, as Davis believes the rookie has set the league on fire with what he’s 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 he could play. Just watching him play at Tennessee, and we actually saw him play here a few times before the games, so we knew what he was capable of. Obviously it’s a different translation when you get into the league, but he seemed to adapt.

“His confidence is very high, even coming to camp and Summer League. He has been phenomenal. Hopefully he can keep it up. He always talks about not getting foul calls, but he will definitely start getting fouls. I know he has set the league on fire for sure. Not just shooting the ball, but the way he plays in general.”

Do you have subscribe to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to see player interviews, exclusive event coverage, attend live shows and more!