Austin Reaves went from undrafted to signing a near-max contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, inking a four-year, $185 million deal this offseason before reaching free agency. With this new contract, expectations will now shift as Reaves now propels himself as a solidified No. 2 option behind Luka Doncic.
Watching how the Arkansas native handles this new role will be intriguing to see, but he looks to be putting in work to live up to these added responsibilities. Collin Sexton recently got into the practice facility with him and came away impressed with Reaves’ leadership and work ethic.
“Each and every day when he’s in the gym, he’s ready to work. No complaints out of him. He’s one of the leaders on the team and he comes in with the attitude of pushing each other, but also allowing players to push him,” Sexton said on the Lakers’ X account. “So, it’s fun to be around him and his competitive nature has been cool too. That’s his one thing, he impacts winning and he impacts the game in so many different ways. I definitely look forward to playing with him just being out there on the court with him, he’s a scorer, a passer and being able to play with someone that’s very unselfish but also can score the ball as well.”
This is a positive review from Sexton and encouraging to hear Reaves taking this upcoming season seriously in terms of being a leader. Obviously, eyes will focus on Doncic upholding his end of the bargain as a No. 1 option, but it appears that the 28-year-old knows what is expected from him as he is now the longest-tenured player on the team.
With nine newcomers, there needs to be a foundation set by Reaves, Doncic and JJ Redick to establish a team identity. Hopefully, Doncic and Reaves can help pave the way for their new teammates that translates into winning basketball.
Austin Reaves embracing leadership role
With LeBron James’ departure in free agency, Reaves knows he needs to be more of a vocal leader for the Lakers moving forward as one of the veterans and is embracing that challenge.
“Everybody knows it’s a completely different team and there’s gonna be different things asked of different people. And if that’s what JJ and the staff ask of me I’ll do it to the best of my abilities,” Reaves said earlier this offseason.
While the Lakers are filled with youthful, energetic players, having a vocal leader like Reaves on the floor will be crucial.
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