Austin Reaves enjoyed a nice little breakout season with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2022-23 season (13 PPG, 3.4 APG, 3 RPG, 52.9 FG%), playing a massive role in their run to the Western Conference Finals. With some bigger expectations next season, Reaves will be looking to continue to improve for Los Angeles in his third year in the league.

This offseason, Reaves was given an opportunity to join Team USA for the upcoming 2023 FIBA World Cup. Reaves was likely a bit surprised to be invited onto the squad given how he really only broke out last season, and for that reason, he revealed that he simply couldn't turn down a chance to represent his country on one of the world's biggest stages.

Sure enough, Austin Reaves has put together some strong outings for Team USA in their friendly tune-ups matches to this point, which has helped the squad look capable of meeting expectations, despite their fairly lackluster looking roster. And given his initial excitement about potentially suiting up for Team USA, it's safe to say that Reaves is having a blast playing for his country so far.

While basketball fans all over the world will be keeping a close eye on Reaves, his performance will certainly be worth watching for Lakers fans. Reaves proved he could be a huge help for the team as a secondary scoring option behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and if he can take the next step forward, which he has looked capable of doing early on while playing for Team USA, Los Angeles' title aspirations may end up being recognized next year.