The Los Angeles Lakers enter the 2023-24 season with a much deeper roster which leads some to believe they’ll be a title contender.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis are expected to be healthy after suffering foot injuries in the 2022-23 campaign, but the real X-factor for the Lakers is Austin Reaves. Reaves broke out in his sophomore season and turned into a key contributor for Los Angeles during their Western Conference playoff run.
Reaves was the team’s third-best player for the entire postseason and swung games in their series against the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors. The 25-year-old’s coming out party couldn’t have gone any better and he’s building on the success he believes is well-deserved as a member of Team USA.
The former undrafted guard has been working with Steve Kerr and Jaren Jackson Jr. on the national team and he admitted he likes to rip them about the Lakers eliminating their respective teams from the playoffs, via Dan Woike of L.A. Times:
“Yeah, I mean, I definitely, kindly, let them hear about it every now and then. More so Jaren than Steve. Steve, basically, the first conversation we had was him being like, ‘You know, I’m still not really over what you and y’all did to us this postseason. But much rather be coaching you than coaching against you.’ But, I think the guys on the team, more so, bring up the Memphis series more than I do. So it’s not even really me. It’s everyone else kinda letting Jaren hear about it.”
Los Angeles managed to beat both Memphis and Golden State in six games, with Reaves playing a pivotal role in the matchups. Although it’s been a few months since their meetings, it’s clear that Reaves still enjoys reminiscing on those series and how he and the Lakers were able to come up instead.
Some harmless trash talk is to be expected on Team USA given that the players and coaches compete against one another throughout the year, but for now they’ll need to work together to bring home the gold.
Austin Reaves betting favorite to win Most Improved Player award
Players who compete with the national team generally come back much better, and the Lakers are surely hoping Reaves receives the perceived bump for the upcoming year.
In fact, it seems that the betting sites are counting on Reaves getting better as he is currently the favorite to win the Most Improved Player award next season.
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