Austin Reaves has been playing in the NBA for five seasons now. While he has yet to notch his first All-Star selection, many believe that Reaves is already one of the biggest stars in the league today.
He is the Los Angeles Lakers’ No. 2 option, becoming an effective combo with Luka Dončić and surpassing LeBron James in the team’s rotation. While Reaves is undoubtedly having the best season of his career so far, he couldn’t help but acknowledge NBA legends like Carmelo Anthony and Rajon Rondo for helping him get to where he is today.
Austin Reaves Credits Former Teammates for His Development
Before being sidelined for 19 consecutive games earlier this season due to a Grade 2 left calf strain, Reaves was on his way to becoming an NBA All-Star for the first time in his career. Unfortunately for him, the technicalities of the league’s rules stopped him from notching the selection.
Fans are behind Reaves and acknowledge how talented and amazing he has become on the hardwood. Looking at his numbers this season, he’s playing the best basketball of his career, averaging 23.5 points, 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.1 steals.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick gave Reaves the ultimate praise when he placed him ahead of James as the No. 2 go-to guy on the team. Reaves has undoubtedly become one of the brightest stars today.
Despite all the fame and glory, Reaves is still humble enough to acknowledge the people who helped him get to where he is today. In a recent episode of the “Mind the Game” podcast, Reaves revealed which of his teammates helped elevate his game into what it is today.
While Reaves acknowledged James and former teammate Anthony Davis for playing a huge role in his growth, he also credited other former teammates, Carmelo Anthony, Rajon Rondo, and Russell Westbrook.
“It wasn’t just (LeBron James) and AD,” Reaves said about who helped him. “We had Melo, Russ, Rondo. Like, I lean on Rondo a lot. I had, probably, the best people that you could talk to, possible. I’m a question asker. … Just the confidence that they had in me, the whole group, from day one, just, like I said, catapulted me to continue to be better.”
Heading toward the final stretch of the regular season, it seems that the Lakers have a good chance of making a deep playoff run. The Lakers are currently third in the Western Conference and are on the verge of securing the No. 3 seed.
All three stars, Dončić, James, and Reaves, seem to be healthy, which will go a long way for the Lakers come the postseason.
