Austin Reaves Is Everything The Lakers Need Him To Be
Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images
From the quiet brilliance of Austin Reaves to the jeopardy the NBA season is in, here are all my thoughts from last night around the association.
The NBA Season Is In Jeopardy
Over the first six weeks of the season, there were ‘just’ 16 players who entered the dreaded Health and Safety Protocols. But over the past two weeks, things have exploded in the worst way possible.
Superstars like Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden are set to miss time. The Bulls earned the season’s first suspended games, with a whopping 10 of their players currently in health and safety protocols.
With all these Covid cases, teams are short-handed. Lonzo Ball has been playing nearly 40 minutes per game over the past week. KD played 51 minutes against the Raptors on Tuesday. The Lakers bench is thinner, and Charlotte is still recovering from multiple players in protocols.
Every sports league is dealing with Covid issues right now. From the NFL to NHL, everybody is having problems keeping things safe. The timing of this outbreak puts the NBA in a bind, as Christmas Day, the biggest day on the NBA regular season calendar, is rapidly approaching.
There is a simple solution. Just postpone the next week of games. The NBA doesn’t want to ruin Christmas, but why don’t they just postpone things until, say, the 23rd? This gives everybody involved some time to figure things out. Guys will be able to get healthy, meaning fewer teams are going to be short-handed.
But of course, the NBA won’t do this. Money makes the world go round, so those precious TV contracts won’t be breached, even if it means that players’ health will be seriously jeopardized. It’s stupid, but that’s the gist of the business.
However, this way of thinking puts the NBA in a tight bind. The NBA doesn’t want a situation like last season, where fans couldn’t attend games. They don’t want limited capacity crowds at playoff games. But they also don’t want to postpone games. So there’s really no saying how this situation will end, if ever.
For the safety of their players, the NBA, regardless of money, needs to take a step back. Their current mandates and protocols need to be changed. For better or for worse, the NBA not dealing with this problem now will make this worse down the line.
Austin Reaves Is My New Favorite Player
From his southern Arkansas drawl to his love for IHOP, it’s hard not to like Lakers rookie Austin Reaves. Reaves is a two-way player, undrafted coming out of Oklahoma. Unlike most players on this Lakers roster, Reaves isn’t a Hall of Famer. Heck, if you’re not a Lakers fan, you probably don’t know who the hell Austin Reaves is. But now you should.
Even with the Lakers’ new free agency acquisitions, Reeves has stuck out in the best way possible. Let’s break down what makes Reaves such a fun player to watch.
Defense
The main reason Reaves gets minutes is because of his hard-nosed defense. The Lakers haven’t been the same defensive team they were when they won the championship, partly because of their lack of perimeter defenders. With Trevor Ariza out, they have sorely needed someone to help them out on the perimeter. Reaves has been that player for the Lakers.
With Reaves on the floor, LA has a 100.7 defensive rating. With him off the floor, they have a 110.2 defensive rating. The Lakers are a better defensive team with Reeves on the floor. It showed last night against the short-handed Mavs.
In overtime, Reaves is all over the place. He plays this Finney-Smith drive perfectly, going completely vertical. The Lakers didn’t get the stop because of a loose ball foul, but this was great defense from Reaves.
Reaves exudes energy. He goes from stopping a Maxi Kleber roll here to closing out on Tre Burks on the perimeter. I’m sitting down while writing this and I’m tired.
Fun Fact: Of all 220 NBA players this season with less than 350 minutes, Reaves leads the league with 5 charges drawn.
Shooting
The one thing the Lakers can’t get enough of is shooting. Over the past few seasons, they have desperately tried to find consistent shooting. Austin Reaves has, surprisingly, been one of their better options from distance this season.
Reaves is shooting 39% from 3 on four attempts per game. Last night against Dallas, he did a great job relocating, making himself available for the open pass. This play from the first quarter is an example of that.
This movement isn’t overly complex. But Reeves floats out to the wing, finding himself wide open. It’s simple, yet effective.
The Ringer Article
After trying to talk about Reaves for a while, not only did he have a great game against Dallas, an article from The Ringer came out. It talked about Reaves’s rise with the Lakers, from a town of 1200 people in Arkansas to now playing with Hall of Famers in the purple and gold.
There are a lot of great stories in this article. Below is my favorite one, but I highly recommend you read this article (after you’re done reading mine of course).
One practice, early in the season, during a five-on-five scrimmage, Reaves defended James. James went into the post, backed him down, and turned and shot a fadeaway 15-footer. Reaves stretched his hand high, contesting right to the fingertips of James’s follow-through.
Good defense, Reaves thought. Then he realized James’s shot went in. OK, whatever. You made one.
The next defensive possession, Reaves bent his legs low, tried to stop James again. Sure enough, James hit a shot over him in the exact same spot.
F***
“He starts talking s***,” Reaves says.
And what did Reaves do?
“I talk s*** back! You got to.”
James then subbed out of the scrimmage. “He kindly told me that I might be able to get a stop now,” Reaves says.
Going back and forth with Lebron? As a rookie? Yeah, I’ve done that too.
Alperen Sengun Is The Rockets’ Best Rookie By A Mile
After drafting Jalen Green #2 overall in this past year’s draft, people weren’t paying much attention to Turkish lottery pick Alperen Sengun. Sengun was one of the more underrated prospects in this past year’s draft. With Jalen Green struggling mightily, Sengun has emerged as a force for the Rockets.
His interesting mix of defense, playmaking, and praying at the free-throw line make him a fun player to watch. The Rockets got shelled by the Cavs last night, but Sengun continues to prove that he deserves more minutes.
9.5 points – 4.8 rebounds – 2.7 assists – 1.8 stocks – 59% TS – 2.5 BPM
Sengun has been doing all that in just 18.5 minutes per game, which is just insane. Here are some of my favorite Sengun plays from last night’s game against Houston.
Would Stephen Silas give this man more minutes?
WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!!!!!!
aoherroueofihesofieoighoerhg
What Are Your Thoughts From Last Night’s Games? Leave A Comment Down Below!
Follow My Instagram & Facebook To Never Miss A Post: @hoopnotions
