The Los Angeles Lakers have made a remarkable turnaround since the early goings of the 2022-23 NBA season. There are plenty of people who deserve to be given their flowers for that feat.
LeBron James continues to produce at a high level at age 38. Midseason acquisitions like D'Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt have added size, depth and specialization. Rookie head coach Darvin Ham has managed to successfully juggle a variety of personalities and lineups. The guy whose unexpected impact has arguably made the biggest difference, though, is Austin Reaves.
The 24-year-old guard out of Oklahoma has hurt opponents in multiple ways. He is a versatile talent who simply makes winning plays. The team has benefited from it. And their biggest star has noticed it, as is evident by LeBron James' NSFW exaltation of Reaves.
I don't give a f** about, like, athleticism; how great you can shoot the ball; how high you can jump; how fast you can run,” James told ESPN's Dave McMenamin. “I like high basketball IQ guys. Obviously, you got to have that s**t to win a championship. You got to have guys that can do extraordinary s**t. But like, I've always had a liking to guys that just know how to play the f*****g game of basketball.”
Most championship teams have high-motor players who can make heads-up plays and drill timely shots. Austin Reaves, however, encompasses that as well as an abundance of ability. He has showcased it all down the stretch and against the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs. He has his prints all over LA's three wins in this series.
James will be counting on him to once again deliver in the Crypto.com Arena Friday night so that the Lakers can close out Ja Morant and company for good. For Reaves, these remaining postseason games are a monumental opportunity to continue driving up his market value- he is a restricted free agent this offseason.
Of course it's more than that, though.
“I was joking with him [James] the other day,” Reaves said. “I was like, ‘Man, you've taken all these teams to the Finals. Take me! Take me!'”
No one is dragging Austin Reaves anywhere. And LeBron knows that.
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