Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves experienced what it was like to attack the paint with San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama down there, and it did not go well. Early in the first quarter on Friday night, Reaves picked up a loose ball and went for a layup, but Wembanyama pinned it against the backboard.
On the bright side, Reaves is not alone as the 20-year-old No. 1 overall pick is a generational talent, specifically on the defensive end. The rookie showed out in the bright lights of L.A. by putting up 27 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, five blocks and five steals in the Lakers’ win.
It is hard to navigate the paint with Wembanyama down there as he has an 8-foot wingspan and Reaves admitted that he is still trying to figure out how to do so.
“I might have to figure that one out, I don’t got the answer for that,” Reaves said. “I don’t know how tall he is, but he’s 7-foot-12. I pass faked one and he turned around and I was like oh, I got an easy one… Nope. So I’m gonna have to figure that one out. But I really like what he does. He’s gonna be really good.”
The Lakers guard went on to say that it feels like his arms are everywhere on the floor, which is what makes Wembanyama a true one-of-a-kind talent.
“Yeah,” he said. “The first layup he blocked, I haven’t seen it, but I was just like hey, I got an easy layup. I don’t know how many times he blocked my shot tonight, I stopped counting. But yeah, with the way I play, pass fakes, trying to get just a little angle to get floaters off. There was a couple times tonight where I was like oh, I got an easy look and it didn’t turn out too well.”
As time passes, Reaves is going to continue to see Wembanyama for years to come, but he knows that he is going to have to get creative if he wants to score against him in the paint.
“Yeah, I need to figure out how to not let him do that. Or try something else at least. The pass fakes and just layups wasn’t working (laughs).”
In the rookie’s last 10 games, Wembanyama is averaging 3.8 blocks and 2.1 steals, which poses a ton of challenges defensively if he can protect the rim and get into passing lanes. Reaves is not the only player who is going to need to think outside of the box to score on the big man.
Austin Reaves believes Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama has ‘very bright future’
Coming into the 2023 NBA Draft, Wembanyama was deemed the most prolific prospect since LeBron James and he has not disappointed. Reaves believes the 20-year-old has a very bright future in this league with the offensive and defensive talents he possess as a center.
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