The Los Angeles Lakers lost Game 4 of their Western Conference Finals series against Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. A 40-point performance from LeBron James almost carried the Lakers to a victory, but they fell just short, as they lost by a final score of 113-111.
Several Lakers underperformed in the Western Conference Finals, but shooting guard Austin Reaves certainly wasn't one of them. He averaged 21.3 points per game in the series and shot 50% or better from the field in each of the four games.
On Tuesday, after the Lakers got eliminated from postseason play, the soon-to-be restricted free agent Reaves spoke to the media and doubled down on his desire to stay with the Lakers, per a tweet from ClutchPoints' official Twitter account:
“I want to be here. This feels like home to me… The way the fans support me, players, coaching staff, and front office. This is definitely somewhere I want to be.”
"I want to be here. This feels like home to me… The way the fans support me, players, coaching staff, and front office. This is definitely somewhere I want to be."
Austin Reaves speaks on free agency 👀
(via @michaelcorvoNBA) pic.twitter.com/ntmpn6vnXD
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 23, 2023
Austin Reaves, 24, has played two years in the NBA and both as a member of the storied Lakers franchise. He averaged 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.3 blocks, 1.5 turnovers, and 1.7 personal fouls per game across 64 appearances this season (22 starts).
The former Oklahoma star shot the ball efficiently from the field in the 2022-23 campaign — Reaves' 52.9% field-goal percentage was the highest of his pro career.
The Lakers wouldn't have even reached the Western Conference Finals if it wasn't for Reaves' steady hand as a scorer. So the Lakers would be wise to re-sign Reaves this summer and keep him around for the long haul.
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