It has been an up-and-down season for the Los Angeles Lakers, but with the All-Star break now here the team finds itself right in the mix of a very competitive Western Conference. Following the blockbuster trade for Luka Doncic, the Lakers now have one of the best three-man groups in the NBA with Doncic joining LeBron James and Austin Reaves to form a trio of outstanding, high IQ playmakers.
The Lakers didn’t end the first half of the season well, going into the All-Star break a disappointing performance against the Utah Jazz. But prior to that the team had won seven straight games and 11 of the last 12, and Reaves feels they are in a great spot now.
Despite being disappointed in the loss, Reaves spoke about where the Lakers stand, feeling that the team has been playing great overall, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“We’re in a great spot. We’ve been playing really great basketball other than tonight was a slip up. But you have those and I feel like we’re in a really good spot.”
The Lakers currently sit fifth in the Western Conference at 32-20, but are just two losses behind the Memphis Grizzlies for second. If the Lakers are able to come together and play at their highest level, there is a good chance this team can climb higher in the standings.
But Reaves is also looking forward to the All-Star break and feels that it gives himself and his teammates an opportunity to relax and reset before getting ready for this home stretch:
“Gonna get me some time to sit down and sleep and just relax. I think at this point of the year everybody is a little fatigued mentally, physically. So it gives everybody and opportunity to kind of reset and attack the last however many games there is.”
Reaves is one of the most important pieces of this Lakers team and his play is imperative to the success of this team. The West is packed, but the Lakers have the talent to really make some noise and Reaves will be ready to go when they come back from break.
Lakers’ Austin Reaves discusses sharing the floor with LeBron James and Luka Doncic
The fact that Austin Reaves is able to play next to a pair of all-time talents in LeBron James and Luka Doncic is not lost on the young guard. And following their first game together, Reaves discussed what it was like to share the floor with them, and what they are capable of together.
“I just think it could be a thing of beauty,” Reaves said. “The way we can manipulate the game on the offensive end and get what we want every single possession. Luka is one of the best passers in the world, and that’s why I just–I’m sure you already knew–but six for six, I think they were almost all lobs, if not all lobs.
“We could’ve had a couple more, Bron (LeBron James) threw one out of bounds. But yeah, I think it’s just the high-level IQ going along with pieces that really fit. We can shoot the ball, pass the ball and really play to get it the right way.”
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