The Los Angeles Lakers may have had a mixed start to the season in the absence of LeBron James, who continues to recover from sciatica. Despite the 3-2 start, individually speaking, Austin Reaves has been flawless to date.
And while he continues on his journey to earn global recognition, his teammate Rui Hachimura has revealed his own tale of first getting to know exactly who Reaves was.
Rui Hachimura says he didn't know who Austin Reeves was when he first got to LA, then a move on Giannis made him take notice (clips included)
byu/Gtggtggtg innba
“I am not gonna lie, three years ago when I got traded here, I honestly didn’t know about him before. He was injured I think that time,” Hachimura, who has entered his third year with the Lakers, revealed.
“And I think he came back on a game against Milwaukee. I think I remember, he made a move on Giannis around the top and he made a layup. I am like, ‘ooh, okay, he got it, you know?’” he said, per a video posted on the r/NBA subreddit.
Hachimura was traded to the Lakers back in January 2023 after more than three seasons at the Washington Wizards. Back then, Reaves was still learning his trade and had a breakthrough 2022-23 campaign that saw him become a starter the following season.
Regardless, Reaves has since continued a consistent upward trend and is currently experiencing his best start to an NBA season. He is averaging 34.2 points, 10 assists and 5.6 rebounds while shooting at a herculean 60% overall efficiency.
He is also taking career-high attempts from both the three-point zone and inside the arc, and while nobody will be expecting him to continue that kind of production, he has excelled in the absence of LeBron and more recently that of Luka Doncic.
This obviously includes his 51-point blowout against the Sacramento Kings, which was followed by a 41-point performance against the Portland Trail Blazers. There is little doubt that he will be earning his first All-Star appearance ever if he keeps at the same rate.
