LOS ANGELES – Because the Los Angeles Lakers ready to face off in opposition to the Portland Path Blazers on Monday, a lot of the chatter pregame was nonetheless on Austin Reaves’ unbelievable efficiency from the evening earlier than when he dropped a career-high 51 factors in opposition to the Sacramento Kings in a win. Reaves stepped in within the absence of the Lakers’ major stars in LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
Nonetheless, throughout his pregame press convention, Lakers head coach JJ Redick acknowledged that Austin Reaves has simply as a lot say on the workforce as James and Doncic. Within the offseason, one of many ways in which Redick challenged Reaves was in taking over extra of a management function.
“The largest factor was him taking a step ahead as a frontrunner and recognizing that it’s as a lot his workforce as it’s LeBron’s workforce or Luka’s workforce. And acknowledging that he does have innate pure management expertise, and having the ability to faucet into these extra persistently,” Redick mentioned.
“I instructed him he’s out of excuses. You’re not the undrafted man who’s a younger participant who’s unproven. You’re one of many guys now, and he’s been very conscious of that,” Redick continued “I believe in his preseason, his September, to date within the common season, I’ve simply seen plenty of progress there from him.”
Earlier than Luka Doncic was sidelined on account of a number of damage points, he was off to a torrid begin to the season for the Lakers. However Reaves had been off to a robust begin too, overshadowed a bit of by Doncic’s back-to-back 40+ level video games. Then got here Sunday evening in opposition to the Kings when Reaves confirmed what he’s able to when he’s the first offense choice.
By means of the Lakers’ first three video games of the season, Reaves is averaging 34.0 factors, 7.7 rebounds, 9.7 assists and 1.3 steals with splits of 56.6 p.c taking pictures from the sphere, 45 p.c taking pictures from the three-point line and 89.2 p.c taking pictures from the free-throw line.
As his averages present, it isn’t simply scoring wherein Reaves impacts the sport. When he dropped 51 factors, he additionally added 11 rebounds and 9 assists. Redick admitted that Reaves is ready to do issues on the court docket that he was by no means capable of do when was nonetheless taking part in.
“He’s a greater participant than I ever was. There’s sure stuff you do in basketball the place I can’t coach you on, there’s simply not. I didn’t have the sport that he had,” Redick mentioned. “There’s different issues I can coach you on. And I believe his willingness to only be coached from the primary day that I obtained this job to in the present day, on daily basis he’s simply wiling to be coached. And it’s been superior.”