Austin Reaves always shows up.
Austin Reaves and the Lakers are currently set to take the hardwood back in the friendly confines of Crypto.com Arena in Southern California after the completion of a successful six-game road trip that saw the squad go 5-1, albeit against not the toughest of competition. Reaves has enjoyed his best NBA season to date thus far in 2023-24, and the Lakers are currently ramping up for a postseason push, where they will hope to break into the upper portion of the play-in tournament so that they only have to win one and not two games to punch their ticket to the playoffs.
One of the most impressive things about Reaves this season has been his durability, as the former Arkansas Razorback has appeared in every game for the Lakers so far this year on the heels of his participation in last summer’s FIBA World Cup for Team USA. Recently, Reaves broke down his mindset as it pertains to showing up ready to play each and every night.
“I’ve got everything I can give,” said Reaves, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN on X, the social media platform formerly referred to as Twitter. “That’s what I’m going to do every night. I’m going to go out there and give everything I’ve got until after our last game, and then I can relax and chill. I’ve played every game this year. I had the summer last year and the extended run in the playoffs to the Western Conference Finals, but I feel good. This is when you dream of playing, in these types of games into the playoffs. I’m going to go give everything I’ve got.”
How far can the Lakers go?
As previously mentioned, Reaves and the Lakers are currently in the process of trying to maneuver their way out of the ninth seed they currently occupy and insert themselves into either number eight or number seven, which would mean they would have two chances to win one Play-In game, as opposed to having to face elimination twice in a row.
Last year, the Lakers defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Play-In game before embarking on a deep playoff run that few saw coming, dispatching the Memphis Grizzlies and the Golden State Warriors before finally bowing out to the juggernaut that was the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, as Reaves referenced.
As currently constructed, the Lakers do have some noticeable flaws and have struggled to put together winning basketball consistently throughout much of the 2023-24 season. However, the team does still of course feature the likes of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, both of whom are more than capable of covering up for a shortcoming or two with their greatness.
Helping matters is the fact that both Reaves and D’Angelo Russell are enjoying career years offensively, although whether or not the team will be able to compensate for the somewhat lackluster defense of its starting backcourt in a playoff setting remains to be seen.
In any case, Los Angeles next takes the floor on Saturday at home vs the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Source link