An extremely important thing for a young player’s development when they enter the league is having a veteran teammate who can really show them the way both on and off the court. Not only during practices and games, but also proper ways to work out, diet and money management, amongst other things. And Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves was fortunate enough to have one of the best and brightest minds in NBA history on the team when he joined.
Of course, most thoughts would go immediately towards LeBron James and there is no doubt that he has had an immense impact on Reaves’ career. But the first veteran to really take Reaves under his wing as a rookie was Rajon Rondo.
After winning a title with the Lakers in 2020, Rondo returned to the team in 2022 as a veteran voice in the locker room. And in an interview with Franklyn Calle of SLAM Magazine, Reaves credited Rondo with really helping him with his film study as a rookie:
“Rondo was probably the first one. Frank [Vogel] pulled me to the side and was like, Anything you have a question for, if you don’t feel comfortable talking to the staff or whatever, talk to him. Because everybody knows his IQ for the game. He studies the game unlike anybody else. So, I sat by him on the plane. We would have a game one night, and the next morning Rondo would ask me, Hey, what happened at 5:45 in the first quarter? And if I didn’t know, it wasn’t good. He definitely taught me to watch film and do all the little things. So, he was probably the first one. And then obviously Bron was someone else that was super helpful—every year, but really that first year. Anything that he could help me with, he was willing to do.”
There are few players who would be a better candidate to study film and really get into the details of games than Rondo. He truly saw things that most other players didn’t and for him to impart his knowledge and wisdom on to a young Reaves has paid massive dividends.
Many often bemoan the older players on the end of the bench who rarely play, but they serve an important purpose and what Rondo did for a young Reaves as a rookie on the Lakers is still paying off today.
Austin Reaves felt great physically going into All-Star break
What would’ve been Austin Reaves’ first All-Star season for the Lakers has been hampered due to injury. But Reaves made it known that he felt great physically going into the All-Star break after dealing with a calf injury.
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