Despite going undrafted last summer, former Oklahoma Sooners shooting guard Austin Reaves didn’t give up on his dream of becoming an NBA player. After receiving a two-way contract from the Los Angeles Lakers, Reaves worked hard to prove that he deserves to play in the NBA. As of now, he’s starting to see the results of his hard work.
From being an undrafted player in the 2021 NBA offseason, Reaves has succeeded to turn himself into one of the most talked-about rookies in the league.
Austin Reaves Enters Spotlight
There aren’t high expectations from Reaves when the 2021-22 NBA season started. As a rookie on a win-now team, most people only expected Coach Frank Vogel to use Reaves during garbage time. However, with some of their veterans on the sideline with injuries, Vogel decided to take a chance on Reaves and give him a decent playing time.
Reaves recently grabbed the spotlight in the Lakers’ recent game against the Dallas Mavericks. He didn’t only finish with impressive stats, but he also hit the three-pointer that helped the Lakers seal the victory.
Austin Reaves-Russell Westbrook Connection
In the Lakers’ 107-104 victory over the Mavericks, Reaves was remarkable from the three-point range where he knocked down five of his six attempts. After the game, Reaves gave credit to Lakers teammate Russell Westbrook for helping him build his confidence and mentoring him since Summer League.
“Like I said earlier, just the confidence that Russ instills in me is a story going back to Sacramento in Summer League where I went 1-for-8 from three,” Reaves said, as quoted by Lakers Nation. "He come in the locker room and was like, ‘Way to shoot it.’ I’m looking at him like what are you talking about. I shot horrible. ‘Nah, I’m just happy you’re shooting it.’ Just those little things throughout the course from everybody on the team."
Russell Westbrook Proud Of Austin Reaves
Westbrook confirmed that he’s been mentoring Reaves since Day 1. From the time they became teammates, the veteran point guard has been telling Reaves to stay positive no matter what the situation is and that it’s normal to miss and make shots. When asked about his game-winner against the Mavericks, Westbrook said that he’s proud of his mentee.
“It was one of those nights and I’m just happy to be able to enjoy that moment with him," Westbrook said.
Westbrook was actually the one who confidently passed Reaves the ball when he hit the game-winning three-pointer against the Mavericks.
Austin Reaves' Availability Against Timberwolves
After their recent victory over the Mavericks, Reaves and the Lakers are set to face the Minnesota Timberwolves next. Unfortunately, a few hours before their matchup against the Timberwolves officially starts, the Lakers announced that Reaves will enter health and safety protocols and be put into isolation, according to SB Nation’s Silver Screen and Roll.
Aside from Reaves, there are five other Lakers’ players who are in isolation. These include Kendrick Nunn, Talen Horton-Tucker, Malik Monk, Dwight Howard, and Avery Bradley.
]]>The Inquisitr
