For a player who had to change colleges, from Wichita to Oklahoma, to find more media exposure, but who spent the evening of the 2021 Draft without hearing his name, Austin Reaves negotiated his start to his career quite well. It’s the least we can say…
Signing a $56 million contract over the next four years, while other teams including the Spurs coveted him, the young Lakers back pinched himself to believe it. At the time of the “media day” photos, it was with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, as an official member of the “Big Three”, that he was invited to pose!
Objective: no longer be just “a beautiful story”
A few years ago, we could barely calculate it. On August 3, 2021, he signed a completely different contract, a “two-way contract” to try to grab minutes in Frank Vogel’s rotation. A few months ago, he even doubted his place in the NBA: “Especially in the middle of the season last year, I felt like I was walking on eggshells always wanting to be perfect. »
Now he’s on a mission to prove he’s worth all his millions. And quite simply seduce as many people as possible and confirm! Listening to his agent, Austin Reaves does not want to be a shooting star, like Jeremy Lin was 11 years ago.
“It’s about proving that he is one of the best players in the world,” whispers one of his agents, Aaron Reilly, in The Ringer. “Not just that, ‘Oh, it’s cute, it’s funny, it’s a great story.’ It’s: ‘Screw it, I’m here to make you succumb.’ »
“The system in place suits me perfectly”
Frustrated with his adventure with Team USA which ended at the foot of the podium, Austin Reaves wants to experience the thrill of the NBA playoffs again after making his debut there last spring, with some success, 17 points and 5 assists . But also a great lesson in land…
“I was gutted. I had to chase Desmond Bane for six games. [Les Grizzlies] really beat me up, I was exhausted. And then obviously, I was then treated to Stephen Curry! My legs were shot, I couldn’t get a shot in! »
Courted by several franchises, Austin Reaves finally had the right to stability in the legendary LA franchise. It must be said that there are worse work environments… Even more, the Arkansas native understood that he was a basic man in the Lakers system. A message that LeBron James gave him more than once last season.
“I know what I can do here. I know who I’m playing with and how my teammates raise my level of play and make me a better player. The system in place suits me perfectly,” he concludes. “I will always play the same way. Nothing will ever change that. Simply, now I no longer have the ulterior motive that if I don’t play my best game, something will happen to me. »
| Austin Reaves | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2021-22 | LAL | 61 | 23 | 45.9 | 31.7 | 83.9 | 0.7 | 2.4 | 3.2 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 7.3 |
| 2022-23 | LAL | 64 | 29 | 52.9 | 39.8 | 86.4 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 13.0 |
| Total | 125 | 26 | 50.1 | 36.3 | 85.6 | 0.6 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 10.2 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
