Los Angeles Lakers guard (star?) Austin Reaves stole the show in Team USA's first game at the 2023 FIBA World Cup — a smooth 99-72 win over New Zealand in Manila.

Reaves — whose overall rapid ascendency has been encapsulated by his increasingly integral role on this Team USA squad full of young NBA stars — finished with a highlight-reel 12 points (4-for-6 from the field, 2-for-2 from 3), 6 assists, 3 steals, and a +19 in 22 minutes off the bench.

If you aren't a maniac and did not wake up at 5:40 a.m. PT to catch the action, here were Austin's best moments from his official USA Basketball debut.

1) Austin gets the loudest ovation

As was the case in Las Vegas, Austin Reaves received, by far, the loudest ovation of any Team USA player in the Philippines during introductions.

“I could be wrong, Mike, but Austin Reaves might be the most popular player here,” Jeff Taylor said on the broadcast.

“I kinda seen it coming,” said Reaves (who earned podium status) about the love from the crowd. “I was talking to [Lakers assistant] Phil Handy, and he was telling me they love the Lakers out here. So I kinda seen it coming. It's special for me. I'm from a super small town, obviously. Not a lot of people expected me to be here, representing our country. So for them to accept me the way that they accept me means a lot to me.”

Between his sterling playoff performance for the NBA's most globally recognizable franchise, a $54 million free agent contract (a bargain), a potentially seven-figure shoe deal with Chinese brand Rigorer, and believable Taylor Swift dating rumors, the sudden star power of Reaves is among the more remarkable stories in recent NBA history.

2) Immediate impact

Reaves entered the game midway through the first quarter and helped spark a 13-4 run for Team USA with his all-around playmaking. His most eye-popping play was a one-handed catch-and-ball-fake into a three-pointer. I…don't think I've ever seen anybody execute that precise combo in my 25+ years of watching the sport of basketball. Of course, he hit the Lakers' freeze, Miami Vice celly.

3) Cooking off the dribble

The Lakers' midseason reclamation from a lottery team into a contender was largely spurred by Austin's shift into a bolder, aggressive scorer/playmaker. Those burgeoning skills were on full display against New Zealand.

In the second quarter, Austin niftily went behind the back into a triple. (Worth noting: Reaves shot 45.6% from downtown after the trade deadline, 44.3% in the playoffs, and 57.1% in the five FIBA World Cup exhibition games.) Later on, he hit his favorite move to set up a tough midrange J.

He also made a handful of impactful defensive plays, like this.

3) He's Him!

The signature moment of Reaves' NBA career thus far is probably his dagger 3 to ice the Memphis Grizzlies in his first career playoff game, after which he emphatically yelled “I'm HIM!” in his Arkansan drawl. At the conclusion of Austin's stellar performance in his first official international contest, Team USA co-star Anthony Edwards shouted out his teammate with a playful reference.

Oh, and he got compared to Steph Curry on the broadcast and produced this extremely cool photo on a reverse layup. All things considered, I would say Austin Reaves' FIBA World Cup debut went pretty well.