Rookie Dalton Knecht shows why the Lakers think they got a steal in the draft

Dalton Knecht, the Lakers’ rookie guard, clutched the sport ball inside his locker after he dominated the ultimate minutes of the Lakers’ extra time win Thursday in Phoenix, a proud second for somebody who isn’t a stranger to dominating a sport.

“This felt similar to Auburn,” he mentioned with a smile, remembering the sport final season the place he scored 39 factors in a win over Tennessee’s SEC rival.

The variations, although, weren’t truly that refined.

That sport in Auburn? It didn’t include LeBron James and Anthony Davis fanning Knecht on the sidelines after he metaphorically caught fireplace. It didn’t occur with one of many NBA’s greatest shooters ever, Reggie Miller, on the published. It didn’t occur with Knecht’s all-time favourite participant, Kevin Durant, on the opposite sideline encouraging him to maintain going.

It didn’t occur, preseason or not, as a Los Angeles Laker.

As he walked onto the courtroom for extra time after capturing the Lakers again into the sport, Durant discovered Knecht on the courtroom and gave him a message that is likely to be much more helpful than the sport ball.

Learn extra: Lakers beat Suns behind rookie Dalton Knecht’s greatest preseason sport but

“Go take over the sport,” he advised the rookie.

His future Corridor of Fame teammates had simply given him the identical recommendation.

“Bron and AD mentioned, ‘It’s time.’ So it was simply time to take over,” Knecht mentioned.

It validated the early reward heaped on Knecht, who seems to be like he’s going to undoubtedly be part of the crew’s rotation out of coaching camp.

“Reggie [Miller] and I had been speaking about it earlier than the sport and he was like, ‘It is excessive reward to say he is within the 1 % of shooters.’ And I am like, ‘Yeah, he is within the 1 % of shooters,” Lakers coach JJ Redick mentioned. “The factor about him is simply the mentality. It has been very apparent in pickup earlier than the season. In coaching camp, to this point in video games, he is bought no concern. He isn’t afraid of the second.

“That was a present that he placed on.”

The present — 35 factors, together with a stretch the place he scored 20 in a row late within the fourth quarter and into extra time — definitely makes it seem to be the Lakers bought a steal within the draft. Knecht fell to the crew at No. 17 as a consequence of considerations about his age and defensive limitations, league executives say.

And the questions on Knecht’s protection, coaches and teammates say, aren’t going to be not possible to beat due to his coachability and want for enchancment.

“The way in which that he shoots the ball and the way in which that he listens, such as you say, ‘Dalton do that,’ he’ll do it. Like no ifs, ands, buts, Austin Reaves mentioned. “No, ‘I assumed it was this, I assumed it was that.’ Such as you say, ‘be low man (on protection), go vertical.’ That is what he’ll do. So having that trait as nicely is nice and with the ability to, like I mentioned, shoot the ball the way in which that he does, it is going to be exhausting for him to not be on the ground at occasions. Clearly, you already know, defensively, he is working his ass off each single day to get higher. He is asking questions, and that is all you’ll be able to ask from a rookie.”

The Lakers have taken an extended have a look at Knecht this fall. He’s main the Lakers in minutes and is averaging 10 three-point makes an attempt per sport. Earlier than Thursday, he was capturing simply 27%. He missed a possible tying three earlier within the preseason towards the Suns.

“Simply these moments that you just dream of as a child, and you’ll inform that he needs these moments. He needs to, the shot that he missed in, I believe it was Palm Springs, proper? To tie it. You may see within the locker room, like how a lot, you already know, that shot meant to him,” Reavers mentioned. “He was pissed. You may inform by the way in which he was taking a look at him like he was he wasn’t pleased with himself. And that is a that is an excellent trait to have.”

The Lakers and Redick already appeared dedicated to him earlier than he confirmed the form of scoring prowess that made him one of many large tales of school basketball final season.

“He is simply bought, he is bought a psychological toughness about him,” Redick mentioned. “And whether or not it is the offensive rebounding, the competitiveness on protection. He is making an attempt. He is bought some issues he is bought to study and get higher at, however he is making an attempt. And truthfully, that is half the battle generally.”

And Thursday, he bought his first actual second as a professional — whereas Durant, James, Davis and others watching.

“For him to go on the market and placed on a efficiency like that in that second half was unreal to observe. It was … I nearly hit a hole-in-one the opposite day. I hit it off the pin and like that pleasure that I had then, like I had it for that entire fourth quarter,” Reaves mentioned. “So it is stunning. You see how a lot work that he places in each single day. He is searching individuals down proper after follow to shoot. So that you tip your hat to a man like that. And, you already know, I anticipated all these pictures to go in, to be sincere.”

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This story initially appeared in Los Angeles Instances.