- Austin Reaves is having a breakout summer in the 2023 FIBA World Cup
- The young star admits to trying to get fellow Team USA players in Lakers jerseys
- Lakers are preparing for the post-LeBron James era
25-year-old Austin Reaves has become an essential player for the Lakers. After stepping up for the Lakers in the playoffs this spring, he took his talents to Team USA, where he’s been having a breakout summer. And in case anybody still doubts his loyalty to the Purple and Gold, Reaves made sure to let it slip that he’s been doing some recruiting on the Lakers’ behalf.
“I can’t speak on that,” Reaves said in an interview for the Athletic. “But I like some of the guys we’re playing with. So… yeah.”
It’s no secret that Team USA is the birthplace of many modern-day superteams. Back in 2008, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh connected at Team USA together and formed the infamous Heat big three.
This time, the star-power for Team USA isn’t nearly as elite but every player on the team is still a needle mover, and Reaves is likely doing everything he can to bring some of them to Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, head coach Darvin Ham is already prepping for the upcoming campaign, which will be the first time this current version of the roster starts the season together.
Beyond that is where Reaves’ role gets even more important. Because as LeBron ages out of his prime, Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves will have to be there to pick up the slack. Or, perhaps, the Lakers can bring on additional talent to raise their ceiling entirely.
Can Lakers Avoid A Rebuild To Start The Post-LeBron Era?
It’s likely that the Lakers have years before they seriously have to worry about a falloff from LeBron. As long as he can stay healthy, he should be somewhat effective, assuming the Lakers build a solid supporting cast around him.
But after he retires, Anthony Davis will have to fill his shoes as a leader both on and off the court… and that’s a task we haven’t yet seen from the two-way big man.
So rather than betting it all on one guy, the best scenario for this franchise would be to build back up their star power and assemble a new “big three” of their own to keep pace with the rest of the league.
Hopefully, Austin can find that guy at Team USA this summer and convince him to come over when their contract expires.
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