Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves isn’t just garnering attention for his phenomenal play as of late in the United States but also in Europe.
The second-year pro has taken flight for the Purple and Gold in recent games, and it has apparently led to some interest from Germany’s national team. Reaves has already even spoken with teammate Dennis Schroder about the possibility.
“I’m very interested and have already talked to Dennis Schröder about it,” he said. “I had a longer conversation with national coach Gordon Herbert a year ago. I’m right up for it.”
Spox.com had reported back in 2022 that Reaves had obtained a German passport thanks to his ancestry.
“According to information from SPOX , Reaves has had a German passport for several months,” Arndt reported. “This was made possible because Reaves’ grandmother is German. There are also other connections to Germany, Reaves’ brother Spencer will play for Brose Bamberg next season and was already active in the ProA for the Bayer Giants Leverkusen last year.”
Germany is no stranger to NBA stars. Two of the best German players in the league right now are Franz and Moe Wagner. Of course, the greatest German to ever play in the NBA was Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki.
As for Reaves, he would surely be a welcome addition to the German squad. He’s been solid all season long, but he has managed to take his game to another level in recent outings. In the last six games, Reaves is putting up 20.0 points, 4.8 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game. He’s been so impressive that there appears to be a growing market throughout the league for the youngster’s favors.
For now, Reaves is surely not focused primarily on any of that. Instead, he is likely fully locked in on trying to help the Lakers overcome the odds and sneak into the postseason.
Right now, the Lakers are right on the bubble in the Western Conference to make it into the play-in tournament. A win on Wednesday versus a short-handed Phoenix Suns squad would go a long way in helping the team achieve that goal.
Once the 2022-23 campaign comes to an end for Reaves and the Lakers, he will surely start turning his attention to his future, both in the NBA and beyond.
