Coming into the season, the Los Angeles Lakers were looked at as a legit championship contender with the roster they had assembled. With LeBron James and Anthony Davis leading the way, and a diverse group of role players led by D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves, many viewed the Lakers as one of the top teams in the West.
But the season didn’t play out the way the Lakers hoped. While there were good moments, there were also a bunch of bad stretches as well. But one thing that can’t be argued is that the Lakers really turned it on down the stretch of the season and are now playing their best basketball of the season.
That is what matters most to Reaves and he spoke about this following the Lakers’ victory over the New Orleans Pelicans in the Play-In Tournament. Reaves noted that the Lakers are happy with how they’ve been playing and are excite’ about where they are headed into the playoffs, as seen on Spectrum SportsNet:
“Throughout the regular season, you always want to have a better record, be a better seed, higher seed. But the last couple months, we’ve been really happy with the way we’ve been playing. We’ve found some stuff offensively that’s helped us a lot. But as a team moving forward, we’re super excited with where we are as a basketball unit.”
And it was the Lakers as a team that stepped up to get a victory over the Pelicans to lock in the seventh seed in the West. While Davis and LeBron shot a combined 12-of-36, Reaves was one of many role players who stepped up, finishing with 16 points, five rebounds and six assists in the win.
The Lakers have finally settled on proper lineups and rotations with everyone knowing their role and looking to shine in it. Reaves, Russell and Rui Hachimura have rounded out an excellent starting lineup while Spencer Dinwiddie, Taurean Prince, Gabe Vincent and Jaxson Hayes all play their roles off the bench well, providing something different.
A first-round meeting with the Denver Nuggets, who have had the Lakers’ number, isn’t ideal. But the Lakers are playing at a level where they will make things very difficult on the defending champions and there is no doubt Reaves and the rest of the team is looking forward to the challenge.
Austin Reaves is Lakers’ iron man after playing every game this year
Many often say that the best ability is availability and Austin Reaves was the one member of the Lakers who was available every single night. Reaves was the iron man for the Lakers, suiting up for all 82 games, technically 83 including the In-Season Tournament Final against the Indiana Pacers, which doesn’t count on the schedule.
There was a lot of pressure on Reaves coming into the season after signing a new contract this offseason. While he didn’t make a massive leap to All-Star level like some thought he could, he still had a career year and was instrumental in the Lakers’ turnaround this season heading into the playoffs.
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