He arrived at the Lakers, as an unknown, in the summer of 2021. Draft? Not even talking about it. A mini-camp, organized by none other than LeBron James, as the first opportunity to be seen. Anthony Davis recalls: “Kid, what are you doing? Are you trying to tag me? Are you serious?”. A few seconds later, while Davis tried to bring Reaves into the low post, the latter had already stolen the ball from him. And from there he also began to steal the spotlight: the contract has become guaranteed, the minutes have increased, the place in the team is secure, even in the quintet. His second season with the Lakers (the last) he closed by touching 50-40-90 in shooting percentages, and playing in the dream playoffs (a thread under 19 on average, with over 4 rebounds and 4 assists) . Then even the call-up for Team USA arrived, in the hunt for a world gold medal. And from all the Stars and Stripes environment comes only compliments. “I thought he was a shooter, but he’s a basketball player through and through,” says USA Basketball No. 1 Grant Hill. The words that have found the most prominence, among those of his teammates, are those of Mikal Bridges: “The boy is no longer a surprise: he’s serious,” said the Nets star. “I’ve observed him a lot, from the outside”, admits Brandon Ingram: “I like him because he plays within his limits, he doesn’t want to overdo it. And in defense he takes care of every detail, from the position to the outside”. Reaves today is convincing everyone, starting with the Lakers, who have invested 54 million dollars in him (for the next three years).
“I’ll buy myself a nice watch, that yes. But I’m not interested in fashion: nothing beats a nice sweatshirt“, he says. Reaves’ dream continues, even if many are still convinced that sooner or later the awakening will come, perhaps abruptly. “They think it’s all a bluff. But I don’t care. They were the same ones who said I would never make it to the NBA.”
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Austin Reaves: ‘The Lakers were in my destiny’
2023-08-15 12:41:19
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