The rise of Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves from undrafted rookie on a two-way contract to legitimate All-Star caliber player set to cash in on a maximum deal this summer has been amazing to watch. And one player who has been with him every step of the way has been superstar LeBron James.
James has been Reaves’ teammate for all five of his NBA seasons and he has spoken in the past on seeing something in the guard very early in his career. And on the latest episode of his “Mind the Game” podcast, LeBron opened up about exactly what he saw in Reaves that was just different:
“It’s kinda funny, we always talk about this. He didn’t play like a white boy, it was very different. His wiggle was very different. I mean, I grew up in Northeast Ohio so I know, white guys playing like white guys and white guys playing like, the brothers. And what I could see in his game is that he had a lot of wiggle to his game and that was one of the one things that, quite frankly we were missing. I thought that his game would translate to us. His ability to crack the seams and his ability to get into the paint and him playing, even though their team wasn’t as good at Oklahoma his game kinda, it showed a pro. As soon as training camp started I kinda made it a point to kinda beeline into him and kind of force something into him maybe before he even saw it. Push that belief and that confidence like you belong here. What my basketball mechanism and hard drive attach to is guys that know how to play the game. And it’s a reason why, like he’s saying, came into the league 6’5, 180 or whatever the case may be, bulked up a little bit now. But it’s a reason why he’s not the fastest, not the most athletic you know, but he’s averaging 25 a game and playing at a high level. And at any given night he’s number one on the opposing team’s depth chart of this is what we gotta take away.”
There is definitely a stereotype when it comes to white players and at first glance Reaves fits the bill, but once he plays, it is clear that he has a handle and movement to him that allows him to get wherever he wants to go on the court. And for an undrafted rookie to have James instilling belief and confidence in him has to be an unreal experience.
That has helped propel Reaves into one of the best offensive guards in the NBA today and one of the biggest reasons the Lakers have leveled up at this point in the season.
Austin Reaves likes the way Lakers competed vs. Pistons
Unfortunately for Reaves and the Lakers, they saw their nine-game win streak come to an end against the Detroit Pistons. But even in the loss, he was encouraged by the Lakers’ resiliency and physicality in Detroit.
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