A SHOCKER, A SOONER, NOW A LAKER
As I sat seven rows up from the Los Angeles Laker bench a couple of weeks ago as my Thunder were in an Association contest on the hardwood of the Paycom located next to Reno Street in downtown OKC, I noticed the personal conversations that Laker guard Austin Reeves was having with various teammates. Reeves did not start that game but you would not have noticed as he was totally engaged with everyone around him, during warm-ups, game play, and timeouts, as the night progressed. Reeves is what you call a “glue guy” as he is one player on a team that is always positive about any situation that his team would be involved with. He supports not only the best players, such as his on-the-court mentor LeBron James, but the 12 player down the bench, who most likely will not see court time in most close games.
Listen to Reeves in post game interviews and you will hear that encouraging support for his team and shows that he is all in for the Lakers, just as he was with his previous teams high school team and his previous college squads at Wichita State and Oklahoma.
We can give him nicknames, some that might not be as comfortable as one might think, just dial up “hillbilly Kobe” and “AR-15” and you can hear what I mean. With that, Reeves did his best that night in OKC to give the Lakers some support in a game that they were outmatched by the Thunder, as of injuries. Yes, Reeves got into the game and played well, but the home team ran the Lakers out of the Paycom that night as if anyone was watching, LeBron James was pushed to his limit and finally his years made him huff and puff in the 2nd half as he could not keep up the strenuous pace set by OKC. Yes, after the game, Reeves comments were supportive of the team and where it was heading down the road. That is Reeves totally.
Last night Reeves had 28 points as the Lakers, in Las Vegas, won a rather easy 123-109 title game over the Indiana Pacers in the NBA In-Season Tournament Championship. Coming off the bench, Reeves played his role to perfection, allowing the Lakers other super-star Anthony Davis to get 41 and LeBron James chipping in with his 24 and winning the tournament’s MVP. With Reeves 28 and plus 10 in the over/under, and getting to the line for 12 free throws, hitting ten, the Lakers were just to much for the Pacers.
Reeves is a very important piece in the Laker organization today. His presence in LA must not be overlooked. That was the same anyplace he had a locker in his basketball career. Back in Arkansas as a high school player, in Wichita, in Norman, and now in LA.
From the game last night:
Los Angeles head coach Darvin Ham was effusive in his praise of the undrafted guard while mentioning the fact that he wasn’t 100%.
“I don’t think he gets enough credit for how competitive he is,” Ham said of Reaves. “He’s a competitor, man. You watch him work on his game, you watch him try to go make plays for his team, make plays on both sides of the ball — he’s just a high, highly, highly elite, intelligent basketball thinker and worker, and it shows once we get in these moments when we need him. As I mentioned with Bron and AD, Austin is also one of those guys that can carry the group through certain segments of the game, finish games, make all the big plays.
“… He wasn’t feeling well tonight. I don’t think a lot of people understand that.”
That is my take sports fans.
