Since the start of the season, the Lakers had gotten into the bad habit of starting games badly. One figure showed it vividly: Los Angeles had a negative point average of 74 points over the first eight quarters played! To put it another way, LeBron James and his teammates lost the first act by an average of 9.25 points.
Faced with this observation, in Phoenix, Darvin Ham tried to reverse the trend by putting Austin Reaves on the bench to start Cam Reddish. A strong choice – which did not pay off, Los Angeles having lost the first act by nine points – because the back had established himself as an indisputable starter since last season.
A choice he felt coming
“We had to change the record a bit,” the coach justifies himself for Clutch Points. “Afterwards, it wasn’t relegation for Austin. If we remember the great San Antonio teams, everyone knew that Manu Ginobili was a starter who started on the bench. Sometimes, to balance your group, you have to put a player of this level on the bench. So, when the incumbents blow, the level does not drop completely. »
How did the player experience this decision, he who was not completely sharp since the start of the season, not always being regular or skillful?
“I’m a competitor and we don’t want to have this kind of debate. We would like to have played better so as not to have them…”, answers Austin Reaves. “I had analyzed the situation and I could see it coming. I wasn’t good and the team wasn’t in good shape on the road. Things had to change. My parents taught me very young that the coach is the coach. We must respect their decision, whether we agree or not. That’s what I did. I respect the fact that he texted me and we talked about it eye to eye. We had a healthy dialogue, and for me the most important thing is to win. »
A substitute who plays the entire last quarter
This was the case in Phoenix, with a first away victory for the Californians. “If we change the major five and the players don’t take it personally, that’s a good thing for us. Basically, we try to win matches”recalls Anthony Davis.
Above all, the choice of Darvin Ham paid off in the end. Already because Cam Reddish was excellent in the last quarter with his winning shots and his 9 points. Then because Austin Reaves also had a good game, with 15 points and 7 assists. Both players were on the floor, with LeBron James, to make the difference with an 11-0 to start this last act.
Decisive in the success of the Lakers, the Team USA player finished the game with 35 minutes, his third longest playing time since the start of the competition. So we are far from the closet… “We talked about this: his minutes will not decrease and he will continue to finish matches. He was phenomenal”concludes Darvin Ham.
| 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 |
| 2023-24 | LAL | 8 | 32 | 41.6 | 27.8 | 80.8 | 1.3 | 3.1 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 2.6 | 0.1 | 13.1 |
| Total | 133 | 26 | 49.3 | 35.6 | 85.3 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 3.2 | 2.7 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 10.4 | |
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.
