There are only a select amount of people who ever understand what it feels like to be an NBA player, and even fewer become a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, the most storied franchise in the league and one of the most prestigious in all of sports. Austin Reaves is one of those few and he does not take that lightly.
An undrafted player, Reaves went from a two-way to a standard contract before his rookie season even began and now is one of the most important players in the rotation in his second season. A lot comes with being a member of the Lakers, but Reaves truly appreciates the opportunity he has playing for this organization.
“It’s special. I have to, not on a daily basis, but very constantly remind myself that I’m playing basketball, almost a kid’s job for a living,” Reaves said Tuesday night. “And then for the Lakers, arguably the best organization of all sports. I’ve been blessed to be a part of stuff that honestly, I never thought I’d be a part of, like, Bron’s scoring title, Pau’s jersey retirement tonight. Not I’ll take that stuff lightly.
“Like I said, I feel blessed to be in this position to take care of my family and do what I love. So every week or other week, I stop and look at how my life is going and really just appreciate everything that’s ended up.”
Being with the Lakers truly allows players to be part of special nights that just aren’t the same elsewhere. This week it was the retirement of Pau Gasol’s jersey during the Lakers’ victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. And on this night, the love Gasol received stood out to the Lakers guard.
“Yeah, for sure. Obviously, a Laker legend,” Reaves noted. “He was on the Jumbotron, I think it was after every time out probably on the Jumbotron during the game. But you could tell when he was on the Jumbotron, the way the fans embraced him. And rightfully so, like he deserves that. Like I said, he’s a Laker legend and you know, deserves everything that he got to this point.”
It was a beautiful night as Gasol was embraced throughout and Reaves had an excellent night as well helping the Lakers get another win. Reaves has become one of the most beloved members of the team and it is not lost on him the special life he has being in purple and gold.
Reaves doesn’t think Brown gets the credit he deserves
While Reaves often receives love and credit for his performances, someone who has not always gotten the same recognition is Troy Brown Jr. Brown has played excellent as of late and Reaves believes the Lakers wing hasn’t gotten the credit he deserves for what he has done for the team.
“I don’t think he gets the credit that he deserves, honestly,” Reaves said. “You know, because you look at stats and the stats don’t jump out at you. … Always usually chasing around the team’s best player. Rebounds the ball well, and then the confidence shooting the ball. He’s a very, very capable shooter and shoots it well. We’ve seen that since the summer when we were playing pickup.
“So it’s not new for any of us. We want him to shoot it with as much confidence as he can, because we know he can make it. But like I said, I don’t think he gets the credit that he deserves.”
Brown has truly been a major part of the Lakers’ success recently and his continued solid play is extremely important to the success of this team.
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