Austin Reaves: Lakers rookie
The Austin Reaves hype train is packed full and the regular season hasn’t even started yet. “Hillbilly Kobe” has done far more than what’s been expected of him. Reaves went from going undrafted a few short months ago, to signing a two-way contract with Los Angeles, to then signing a guaranteed contract at the end of September.
It’ll be a while before Austin reaches his full potential, but he’s definitely started his NBA career off on the right foot. Reaves has proven to be a valuable addition to the Lakers’ roster, especially with the injuries that the team has endured at the guard position. The 82-game season that’s upcoming is a whole different monster than the preseason, but Los Angeles needs to see another impressive performance from Austin on Thursday.
Reaves took the court for the first time on Tuesday night with the same players that he grew up idolizing. He’s received high praise from LeBron James already and that was well-deserved. It’s still very early and nobody is quite sure about the role that Austin will play this year, which only makes the final preseason game that much more important. It’s a last look at Reaves before the team begins to play games where losses will actually matter.
The rookie is coming off of a 10-point performance against the Warriors, shooting 3-for-6 from the field and 2-for-4 from the three-point line. Reaves put together a couple of flashy plays on the defensive end, finishing with one block and two steals. The Lakers need to see more a similar intensity from Austin on Thursday in order to continue to piece together his part as a supporting cast member.