Austin Reaves has earned the respect of his Los Angeles Lakers teammates. LeBron James recently commended Reaves, and D'Angelo Russell even explained how Reaves broke the NBA's “white guy” stereotype, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
“In the NBA you see a white guy, he's usually the shooter and he usually can't guard anybody,” Russell told ESPN. “Or he's tough and can't do anything else. For him to have a little bit of everything, I think it … helps the situation. And … he's a killer. When you recognize a killer that [has the mentality of], ‘I'll score 40 on you … and then I'll try to score 50 on you.' He's that guy. Like if he's going, he's going to go and there's no holding back. I think that's what people recognize. He can really take the game over.”
Austin Reaves believes in himself. He thinks he can play a major role on this Lakers team, and doesn't envision himself being the next Alex Caruso for LA.
The Lakers struggled to open the 2022-23 season. They faced a concerning lack of depth, and both LeBron James and Anthony Davis dealt with injuries. Los Angeles ended up trading Russell Westbrook away, a move that benefitted both Russ and the Lakers, and also acquired D'Angelo Russell.
Russell has performed well since returning to Los Angeles. But the Lakers needed more players to step up than just Russell, AD, and LeBron, especially considering the aforementioned injury concerns. Austin Reaves has helped to answer the call.
Russell stated that Reaves has a “little bit of everything,” and can impact the game in a number of different ways. The Lakers are counting on Reaves to continue playing at a high level as the playoffs roll on.
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