While the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2021-22 season has mostly been disappointing, there have been a few positives, with rookie Austin Reaves being among them.
The Lakers originally signed Reaves to a two-way contract as an undrafted free agent, although he earned a regular roster spot before the start of the season.
He already has proven that was a good decision by the Lakers as his two-way play has been invaluable to the team, impressing Frank Vogel and LeBron James, among others.
James has taken Reaves under his wing a bit this season, and it’s hard for a rookie to have a better mentor than that when it comes to basketball IQ. That mentorship was on display during the Lakers’ win over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night when James appeared to be explaining something to Reaves.
A great teaching moment became a hilarious meme when Reaves made a funny face in disbelief after hearing whatever James told him. Even James himself got in on the meme, taking to Instagram to post a quote that Tony Stark (Iron Man) told Peter Parker (Spider-Man) in the 2017 film ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming.’
Reaves, who looks a bit like the actor that plays Spider-Man, Tom Holland, also had a response to James on his Instagram Story, calling him his big bro:
Love this ? pic.twitter.com/BKCe0PDKfE
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) January 27, 2022
In a season that has been filled with disappointment, it’s good to see that the Lakers players have not lost their spirit and can still joke around off the court.
Also, with Reaves being a big part of the organization’s future, James being willing to mentor him and spread his wealth of knowledge on basketball and life is definitely a big positive for the rookie as well.
James knew right away he would enjoy playing with Reaves
James has always emphasized how much he studies the game, and after the Lakers originally signed Reaves in the summer, he immediately got to work on watching his college film.
After doing so, James came to the quick conclusion that he would be someone he enjoys playing with.
“Obviously we got a gem in Austin,” the Lakers’ All-Star said. “Bringing him on board, I watched a lot of film when we was able to acquire him and I know what type of players I like to play with and I knew right away that he would make an immediate impact on our ball club probably honestly before himself and probably before our coaching staff and a lot of our other teammates.”
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