The Lakers are now on vacation, with a lot of questions ahead of them, but the club can still enjoy the second half of the season. Notably Austin Reavesbecome a key holder in these playoffs.
“I learned so much. First and foremost, that you must never let go” he recalls. “2-10 at the start of the year. There have been many difficulties, of course, but the last two or three months have been superb. The first thing to do is to believe in yourself and what you have as a team. »
Undrafted player who arrived at the Lakers as a “two-way contract” before establishing himself as the Lakers’ third option in the conference finals, Austin Reaves is well placed to talk about believing in yourself.
Even if he admits that he would never have really imagined being in this position one day…
“I just made the Western Conference Finals. If you had told me that when I was 15, I would have looked at you like I had just seen a ghost. I really learned a lot of things and I hope I can apply them to my life and my career in the future. »
“There were a lot of times in basketball where I didn’t think I was going to be able to take it to the next level”
Austin Reaves, who shot 16.9 points (46.4% success including 44.3% from 3-pointers), 4.6 assists and 4.4 rebounds on average in the playoffs, continues to progress and clear obstacles, one after the other.
“Like I said, I never really thought I could be in this position – I probably believed it but not really – because there are two, maybe three people in the world who thought I could. do it and contribute. Honestly, I’m proud of myself. There were a lot of times in basketball where I didn’t think I was going to be able to take it to the next level. In high school, I didn’t get many offers. I had the opportunity to go to Wichita State and then move on to a bigger, bigger program (Oklahoma), and I didn’t get much interest out of college, so I didn’t know if I was going to have to go play overseas or if I was going to be able to play in the NBA. Being here and performing well makes me feel good, I’m proud of myself. »
The Lakers have no intention of letting go of the soon-to-be 25-year-old back. As for the person concerned, he is already thinking about what he will have to work on this summer to come back even stronger next season.
“I want to keep improving. I hope my swing (in golf) will improve” is he having fun. “I will also do bodybuilding. I like the game. I like to work. Phil (Handy, Lakers assistant) and I spent a lot of time together. Zack Gonzales (another Lakers assistant) and I spent a lot of time together in the gym to improve, and I’m open to anything. If you want to tell me that I have to work on dribbling, shooting, passing, defending, I’m open to anything. »
Even if it will be necessary to recover first.
“It’s really a summer to take care of my body as a priority. It’s the most matches I’ve played in my entire life in one season. So I’m going to take care of my body and then get back to work to improve in all areas.”concludes the ambitious.
| Austin Reaves | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2021-22 | ALL | 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 | ALL | 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 = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
