The Los Angeles Lakers are closing out the 2021-22 season with a six-game losing streak despite head coach Frank Vogel changing the rotation over the last week.
Among the biggest adjustments, Austin Reaves didn’t play a single minute in the losses to the New Orleans Pelicans and Denver Nuggets. Reaves clocks in 22.5 minutes per night and has started in 16 games for L.A. during his rookie season, earning high praise for his hustle and defensive instincts.
However, Vogel explained he wanted to shake things up as the Lakers kept losing — and hence decided to use Avery Bradley over the Oklahoma alum in the coming games, particularly as the 23-year-old guard’s shooting percentages dipped lately.
“I think Austin has played really well for us this year,” Vogel said. “When you’re losing as much as we’re losing, you’ve got to look at different things. He has struggled to shoot the ball of late. He has shown on some nights a little bit of rookie fatigue if you want to call it that.
“I don’t have a lack of confidence in him, but we looked Avery [Bradley] as a change-up because we’ve been losing and he played really well the other night. So Avery is getting those minutes now.”
Reaves averaged 4.2 points over his last five games, shooting 29.2% from the field and 12.5% from downtown.
Vogel commends Anthony after receiving Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion award
Carmelo Anthony has received the NBA’s inaugural Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion award for his efforts and endeavors across multiple communities.
After Abdul-Jabbar himself presented Anthony with the award, Vogel commended the 37-year-old Lakers forward for making the franchise proud.
“I want to start by commending Carmelo Anthony for being honored as the league’s social justice champion this year,” Vogel said.
“It’s a great honor for him. It makes the Lakers proud. It’s an important cause for our league and for our team and to see him get that award is a big deal for us. I want to start by commending him for that.”
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