Austin Reaves is now a fan favorite of the LA Lakers due to how he has performed and his contribution to the team’s success. From being going undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft to making his way to the starting 5, Austin Reaves has come a long way.
Though time is essential to any athlete’s development within a team, many marveled at how Reaves has developed within such a short period to become one of the most influential players on the court. Receiving wide acclaim from fans, players and analysts, Austin Reaves has now earned high praise form Lakers GM Rob Pelinka.
Rob Pelinka draws parallels between Austin Reaves and Kobe Bryant
The Los Angeles Lakers’ General Manager Rob Pelinka has recently drawn parallels between Austin Reaves and late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
He said, “Austin’s growth isn’t a surprise to any of us. He uniquely has that sort of Mamba gene, where it’s all about the work, it’s about playing competitively on every play, it’s about being a great teammate, not caring about the personal accolades but just the team winning.”
“He’s focused on one thing and one thing only, and that’s trying to bring another championship to this organization”, he added.
Austin Reaves previous season was great as he averaged 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists for the Lakers. These impressive records propelled the Lakers to agree to a four-year, $54 million max extension in July. It also afforded him the opportunity to join Team USA during the 2023 FIBA World Cup, where he shone as a sixth man for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup by averaging 13.8 points through eight games. This momentum could be much needed for the coming season for the LA Lakers.
Reaves earned LeBron’s confidence during Grizzlies game
It was widely believed that LeBron James trusts Austin Reaves as he was always willing to share ball-handling duties with him throughout the season. Despite their age gap, the duo was continuously getting more responsibilities in the team and living up to expectations.
Reaves further confirmed that LeBron trusts him on the court while speaking to Zach Lowe on The Lowe Post Podcast. Austin Reaves admitted thinking on the same plane on LeBron, “The one that stood out to me…in the playoffs, Game 1 against Memphis. When I had a really good fourth quarter… I was on the left side, and I just meant to run the floor….me going to run the floor, and I heard LeBron yell ‘AR’, come back’, and he just tossed me the ball…come hit the three… From that point forward, I could tell the trust level was even more than what I knew it was at that point.”
Austin had a good playoff season as he averaged 16.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game shooting 44.3% from 3PT for the Lakers during their last run.
Now that the new season is on the horizon, the Lakers squad are preparing ahead of the preseason to bring out the best results on the court. Austin, meanwhile, continues to be a substantial member of their starting lineup and will be looking to help the LA Lakers embark on a possible Championship campaign in the new season.
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