There is no denying that Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves deserved All-Star consideration given his strong play to begin the year. Unfortunately, injury prevented him from solidifying his case and perhaps next year he will be on everyone’s radar.
Dating back to Reaves start in the NBA, he was an undrafted player that earned a roster spot and climbed his way up the food chain. There are typically feel-good stories every season and the guard is one of them as he has grown into a dynamic scoring option next to LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
However, there were signs as this development did not come out of nowhere. Reflecting on how he got to where he is today, Reaves talked about some of the surreal moments in his career, via Franklyn Calle of SLAM:
“I think playing for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup a couple of years ago. Hitting a game winner on Christmas. Had a triple-double that game as well. There’s been a handful. The one that meant the most to me was the first playoff game against Memphis. I think I had 13 or 14 in the fourth quarter. Kind of took over the game. Memphis is an hour, probably an hour and 30, from where I grew up. So I probably knew over 50, maybe 100, people in attendance. So to do that in my first playoff game in front of basically the whole town that I grew up in was very special.”
One could argue that Reaves’ first iconic moment in a Lakers jersey was Game 1 against the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2023 playoffs. At that time, James was not fully 100% due to a foot injury and Reaves stepped up in a big way, along with Rui Hachimura, to steal that game on the road.
Not everyone is built to play in the postseason, let alone for a historic team like the Lakers. That moment felt like a building block for the Arkansas native and it provided him with a ton of confidence moving forward.
At this point, Reaves finds himself as a franchise cornerstone next to Doncic, assuming he re-signs with L.A. this summer. Hopefully, that foundation allows the 27-year-old guard to transform into a potential championship-caliber player.
Austin Reaves credits Rajon Rondo as first mentor
Reaves had a lot of veterans to learn from early in his Lakers career, but the one he said took on a role as a mentor for him was Rajon Rondo.
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