Austin Reaves Discusses What Has Led To Lakers' Recent Strong Play
Yesterday at 03:05 PM
It’s been a season of ups and downs for the Los Angeles Lakers thus far. At times, they’ve looked like an elite offensive team that can run up the score with anyone. At times they’ve leaned on their defense for a stretch of wins. And at other times, they haven’t been able to do either well and have lost in significant fashion.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves’ ascension to a legitimate third option and primary initiator and shot creator has been one of the consistently great stories of this season. He has had to work on not overcompensating and making mistakes when his shot isn’t falling, but he has been a huge reason for L.A.’s success through the first half of the season.
And he has been instrumental with the Lakers having won five of their last six games, including double-digit wins over the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors. Reaves spoke about the way the Lakers are playing and what has been behind their success, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“I feel like we’re playing the game the right way. We know who our big dogs are, Bron and AD, are gonna carry us, and we have to figure out how to help them be successful. We’ve done that, we’ve played the game the right way. We got multiple really good looks tonight that didn’t go in and we didn’t stray away from that. We continued to make the right play, shoot the right shot, make the right rotation, extra effort on defense. So continuing to do that will lead to success for us. That’s really what I think."
The Lakers also got Jarred Vanderbilt back in the lineup in their last game on Saturday, a massive development for a team that has struggled defensively this season. Reaves spoke about how his return affects the team:
“I think it just brings a different aspect that we can explore. See what we like, see what we don’t like and just continue to get better. Those guys, everybody that you mentioned, do things very well. Just trying to figure out how to gel all that together and we’ll be a really good team.”
Vanderbilt is coming back to the lineup at a perfect time, as Reaves is right in his assessment that the Lakers are playing the right way. L.A. has the 11th-ranked offense, sixth-ranked defense and fifth-best net rating in the NBA over their last six. That’s the exact type of identity they were hoping to have.
Consistency, more so the lack of it, has been the key thus far this season. And Reaves is hopeful that with the way the Lakers are playing, the numbers can continue to back it up.
Austin Reaves was excited for Jarred Vanderbilt’s return
Jarred Vanderbilt was a fan favorite for the Lakers after being acquired at the 2023 trade deadline due to his high motor and willingness to do the dirty work. Before his arrival, L.A. did not have a player like Vanderbilt, so it was a breath of fresh air.
However, injuries plagued the forward, and he did not suit up from Feb. 1, 2024 until Saturday night.
The Lakers traded for Finney-Smith to fill Vanderbilt's absence, but the latter's long-anticipated return finally arrived. When asked what L.A. misses most about Vanderbilt, Austin Reaves pointed out his willingness to do the little things.
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