With LeBron James missing the beginning of the season and Luka Doncic also having to sit out a handful of games, the burden of carrying the Los Angeles Lakers offense has often fallen on the shoulders of Austin Reaves. And the fifth year guard has responded by taking a huge leap into legit All-Star status.
Even since James has returned, Reaves has maintained his role as the second option of the offense and is averaging career-highs across the board while solidifying himself as one of the best players in the NBA. And one player who has witnessed his rise from day one is LeBron himself.
James has been Reaves’ teammate for the entirety of his career and in the latest edition of the “Mind The Game” podcast with Steve Nash, he spoke on the Lakers guard’s rise this year and overall just being happy at all the success he is enjoying:
“AR has picked up exactly where he left off of, the confidence. He’s also healthier this year than he was last year and I know he sat out a couple games this year, but last year he was dealing with a toe issue late in the season. So he came into this season a lot healthier, but also just the confidence. Understanding that his role is gonna continue to pick up. More usage rate, more responsibility, he’s not just one of the guys he’s one of the guys you know on our team. He wants that responsibility so I think the coaching staff and JJ knew it wasn’t too far fetched to give him more responsibility and he’s just taking full advantage of it. The guy is a, he plays golf and he plays basketball, that’s him. He has time and he puts the work in and then he goes on the golf course and clears his mind, and then he plays basketball and then he clears his mind. And I think the guy is just, he’s just a great dude and I’m so happy for all his success so far.”
One thing that has always been the case about Reaves is that he puts in the necessary work and more to be as good as he is today. When the Lakers talk about the kinds of players they want in the organization that represents what this franchise is all about, Reaves is the embodiment of that.
He is truly one of the reasons the Lakers have exceeded expectations so far this season and LeBron has been right there for his entire journey and knows that he is deserving of everything he has received.
Austin Reaves pleased that Lakers can win even when he plays poorly
For as amazing as Austin Reaves has been, he isn’t perfect and recently had his worst game of the season against the Philadelphia 76ers. But the Lakers were still able to come out victorious and Reaves is proud of this team’s ability to win when he has an off night.
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