The game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night became a historic one for all the wrong reasons for the Los Angeles Lakers. The 76ers blew them out 138-94, and Austin Reaves kept it real after that embarrassing 44-point loss.
“They beat the s*** out of us.”
That was pretty much what happened in the game. As has been the case for much of this season, the Lakers got off to a slow start, trailing 32-19 at the end of the first quarter. They had managed to dig themselves out of holes on a few occasions previously but that didn’t happen here.
The 76ers kept them at arm’s length and then dominated in the fourth quarter, winning it 40-14, to bring us to that final score. That margin of defeat was the largest of LeBron James’ career and was tied for the fifth-largest in Lakers history, which tells you just how bad it was.
As for Reaves’ contributions in this one, he had 12 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists in just over 28 minutes. None of the Lakers really gave a good account of themselves, and they’d be desperate to make a statement after this showing. Fortunately for them, they face the hapless Detroit Pistons, who are on a 14-game losing streak, next.
How Has Austin Reaves Fared In His Role Off The Bench?
Reaves came into this 2023-24 campaign as the starter, following his exploits last season, but after just eight games, he was asked to come off the bench. He had struggled a little bit as the starter, averaging 13.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 41.6% from the field and 27.8% from three.
Head coach Darvin Ham was keen to point out that it wasn’t a demotion for the 25-year-old and Ham even called Reaves the Manu Ginobili of the Lakers. While Reaves hasn’t been quite as good as Ginobili off the bench, there has certainly been an improvement in his play.
He is averaging 14.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 0.7 steals per game while shooting 50.0% from the field and 40.0% from three. That kind of efficiency is more in line with what we saw from Reaves last season and there’s good reason to believe he’ll keep it up.
Austin Reaves Praised LeBron James
In his three seasons with the Lakers, Reaves has become not only a fan favorite but also somewhat of a favorite of LeBron’s. The two have a great relationship, and Reaves set the record straight about what James is like as a person.
“I give him a hard time all the time but he’s a great human. He treats everybody as a person. Someone of that stature, you hear it all the time of them not being a good person. But with him it’s the exact opposite. He cares about you as a human, especially his hometown. Big shoutout to him for all that he does for this community and all the other communities as well.”
James really does come across as a great human being, who cares a lot about his teammates, family, and his community. It would be easy for someone who has accomplished as much as he has to consider himself above and beyond everyone else, but that’s just not who he is.
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