Austin Reaves didn't need to call for the ball. He knew LeBron James would find him. After Reaves' latest clutch three-pointer for the Los Angeles Lakers, the sophomore wing brought up an old (and I thought long retired) criticism of LeBron: his willingness to trust a teammate in late-game situations.

Reaves — who nailed a three then drew three free throws (and fatally missed one) in the final 12 seconds of the Lakers' overtime loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday — drilled a dagger corner triple off a LeBron kick-out to put the Lakers (11-15) up by five with 11 seconds to go and seal a lowkey critical 124-117 win over the Detroit Pistons.

LeBron — who finished with 35/5/5 on 14-of-24 shooting — said the read was for a “middle pick-and-roll” for him and Anthony Davis, but when the Pistons switched, sent a double-team, then a third defender (Jaden Ivey), LeBron knew Reaves would be open.

“I trust AR. So I wasn't worried about,” stated James.

Reaves said he was confident that LeBron would find the open man — as he's done for 20 years.

“I don't have to scream in my head or out loud or anything,” said Reaves about calling for the rock. “I think Bron's been very criticized for his whole career for making the right basketball play late in games instead of forcing a shot. You know when you're playing with him that he's gonna make the right basketball play, and that's what you want your leaders to do.”

Reaves is referring to the flak LeBron received early in his career, pre-ringzzzz, when he deferred to teammates on a handful of occasions rather than play Hero Ball. (I would argue LeBron shook off his un-clutch reputation after the 2012 Finals.)

Reaves finished with 9 points on 3-of-5 shooting from deep in his follow-up to a dazzling 25 point-performance in Philly.

Reaves has been a crunch-time staple for the Lakers ever since his game-winning three against the Dallas Mavericks early in his rookie season. His decision-making, hustle, two-way ability, innate feel, and readiness for big shots are skills you want on the court when the going gets tight.

The trust between the Lakers' teammates runs both ways. LeBron has repeatedly showered praise on Reaves, citing the second-year man's cojones and basketball IQ.

“Austin can fit in any group,” James said in October. “A guy who plays extremely hard, plays well, doesn’t make mistakes, always in the right place at the right time. He plays extremely hard. His IQ is very high. He fits in any group, and it’s always good to be on the floor with him. I love AR.”