Bally Sports’ senior lead NBA insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson revealed that a prominent Los Angeles Lakers player can’t wait to see Austin Reaves in training camp.
The player called Reaves a “freaking monster” after how well he played with Team USA in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
Austin Reaves had Team USA duty BUT the Lakers guard did get a visit & workout from Lakers coaching staff towards the end of FIBA World Cup.
Team’s excited to have him in the fold for training camp.
A prominent Laker tells me: “I can’t wait. He’s a freaking monster!” pic.twitter.com/F17kHCPJ4I
— đź‘‘ Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) September 13, 2023
Reaves and Team USA finished in fourth in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, losing to Canada in the third-place game. However, the Lakers guard carved out a major role off the bench during the tournament, a positive sign for things to come in the 2023-24 NBA season.
The Lakers clearly believe in Reaves, as they gave the former undrafted free agent a major four-year deal in free agency this offseason.
Reaves certainly earned the contract, taking a massive step forward in his second NBA season during the 2022-23 campaign.
The Wichita State University and University of Oklahoma product made some major leaps from his first season in the NBA when he averaged 7.3 points per game while shooting 45.9 percent from the field and 31.7 percent from 3-point range.
In the 2022-23 season, Reaves averaged 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 52.9 percent from the field and 39.8 percent from beyond the arc. He was clearly one of Los Angeles’ best players, and he put together some strong performances in the playoffs as well.
During the playoffs, Reaves helped the Lakers make the Western Conference Finals as the No. 7 seed. He averaged 16.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game in 16 games while shooting 46.4 percent from the field and 44.3 percent from 3-point range.
If he can build on those numbers in the 2023-24 season, the Lakers are going to be one of the tougher teams to beat in the West.
The team has a solid core of Reaves, Anthony Davis, LeBron James, D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura, and it ended up bringing in some major help in free agency this offseason.
The Lakers added big man Christian Wood, guard Gabe Vincent, big man Jaxson Hayes and wings Taurean Prince and Cam Reddish.
Those moves should help improve the Lakers’ depth in the coming season.
Clearly, Reaves is a major part of this team, and at least one of his teammates can’t wait to get back out there with him.
