The City of Los Angeles seems to be finding its future with Tennessee this year. After the LA Lakers drafted Tennessee Volunteers star Dalton Knecht, now the LA Angels have drafted Christian Moore from the University baseball team with the same name – Tennessee Volunteers. Although just a coincidence, it turned out to be an interesting, albeit under-discussed, occurrence.

However, Moore has now spoken of the coincidence that LA has witnessed. “… That’s crazy… There is something in the [Tennessee] blood… I don’t know what it is,” he told The Sporting Tribune. Notably, the Angels selected second baseman Moore in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft with the 8th overall pick. The 21-year-old is a right-hand batter and thrower, who recently claimed the College World Series title with the Volunteers.

As for his college baseball career, he hit 61 home runs, drove in 160 RBIs, and stole 22 bases, with a .338 batting average, .697 slugging percentage, and .447 on-base percentage. Apart from this, he earned himself the 13th spot after recording the most hits (111) in the nation.

Reports state that Angels scouting director, Tim McIlvaine, was not just impressed by Moore’s gameplay but also by the way he carried himself. Now the Volunteers’ star will have to start from scratch, just like Dalton Knecht. With this, there are now two stars from Tennessee who have to prove their worth to the City of LA. However, after some struggle, the Lakers rookie seems to be on the right track.

Dalton Knecht displays unwavering confidence despite initial struggles in the Summer League

As the NBA Summer League commenced in Las Vegas, the Lakers rookie seemed to struggle with what is considered his true strength — his shooting efficiency. In their match-up against the Warriors, the Lakers lost 92-68. Though the ex-Volunteers star scored 12 points, the score came on 3-of-13 shooting in 22 minutes of his gameplay.

Dalton Knecht stated this as something just a brief phase, where he is not finding his rhythm since he has not played since March. “Just finding my rhythm again and keep playing with these new guys and keep adjusting… Shooters shoot. My dad always told me the next shot is going in…” he added.

More recently, he has reiterated that no matter what, he is not losing his confidence as long as his teammates have got his back. “So no matter what, I’m just going to let it fly,” he said, as per the LA Times. He seems to be gaining some rhythm so far in the league. Notably, Knecht has reached 17.3 points per game, with 34.6% three-point shooting in the Summer League.

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