Austin Reaves is having himself a great summer after agreeing to terms on a new four-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers and preparing to suit up for Team USA in the upcoming 2023 FIBA World Cup.
Reaves has established himself as a key member of the Lakers going forward and is primed to assume more responsibility in the 2023-24 season. The former undrafted guard has earned the respect of his teammates like D’Angelo Russell who saw up close how good he is on the floor.
When talking about Reaves, one word stuck out to Russell, via The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone:
“Killer. Killer. Killer. Oh my god, he’s a killer. Hell yeah. I used to…when I first got there I didn’t really know him like that, right? And I remember we played ’em when I was with Minnesota. My brother used to sit courtside in Minnesota, right, so I’m guarding Reaves and he hit me with a twink, twink, twink, yup and got to his shit. And I don’t know if he missed it or I fouled or I did something. My brother looked at me as I’m walking back he’s like and I’m like ‘I did tell you!’
“He did try to prepare me going into the game because I might not know or he’ll give me the scouting report and I’m just like, ‘Yeah, he got that shh.’ Then when I got around to him and I’d have a good game, he’d have a good game, I’d have a good game, and this is when Bron was obviously out or whatnot and I was just seeing his demeanor and it was just like…he was never excited about it. He just kind of always felt like, ‘Yeah, I can do that. I’m built like that.’ Like I’m supposed to do that.”
Russell also discussed why some people still have their doubts about Reaves:
“They probably discredit him cause of his skin color. But he got game. Game. A lot of dudes…I ain’t trying to take it here but a lot of black dudes in the league got one, maybe one, white boy that they know can hang and get to it at any park back home and I can bring him at any park back home and he gonna hold it down.”
At this point, it would be silly to call Reaves as a fluke and he’ll look to prove even more doubters wrong when the Lakers tip off the new season.
Colin Castleton credits Austin Reaves for laying foundation for undrafted players
Reaves’s path to the NBA as an undrafted free agent is one of the league’s best success stories and players like Colin Castleton credit him for paving the way for people like him.
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