Austin Reaves had arguably the greatest moment of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers last night, as he made the game-winning layup to end the 115-113 classic against the Golden State Warriors. After the game, Reaves spoke on the range of emotions he experienced in the moments after the game and looked back on his journey to the NBA.
“I’m not really an emotional person. But when I was doing radio out there… Got the game ball, and threw it to D-Lo, there was a quick second where I thought I might tear up. That doesn’t happen a lot. But it’s Christmas.”
“I know my parents are back home watching, my brother is probably in Germany right now… All my people back home are locked in and sitting around watching the game.”
“That means a lot to me. I say it all the time, I’m not necessarily supposed to be in this position. I got lucky, got my foot in the door, and took advantage of an opportunity. Now, I’m sitting here, on Christmas, with a game-winner and a triple-double. It’s really the win that matters the most to me.”
"I thought I might tear up."
Austin Reaves got emotional thinking about his journey and all the love and support from his family on #NBAXmas 💛 pic.twitter.com/tgMNrr6uaU
— NBA (@NBA) December 26, 2024
Austin Reaves had a brilliant game against the Golden State Warriors, putting up a sensational triple-double with 26 points (8-20 FG), 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and a steal. His game-winning drive was just the cherry on top of what was a sensational outing from the undrafted star.
Reaves revealed after the game that the original play called for the final stretch was for LeBron James. But he decided at the moment to drive to the basket, and it’s hard to argue that it wasn’t the right call. The Lakers have seemingly found their reliable third option behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis in Austin Reaves.
Austin Reaves Must Be Untouchable Going Forward
Austin Reaves’ performance tonight wasn’t just incredible, but also necessary. Anthony Davis went down with an injury after playing just seven minutes. With arguably their best player off the court, JJ Redick needed one of his players to step up and play a starring role. And that is exactly what Reaves did tonight.
The Lakers are expected to make a trade before the February 6th deadline. Whoever they choose to get, they must make sure they hold on to Austin Reaves. Aside from LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Reaves is the Lakers’ only other consistent star. He consistently performs at a high level, something that cannot be said about anyone else on the Lakers’ roster.
For the season, Austin Reaves is averaging 17.0 points, 4.9 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game while shooting 44.0% from the field, 35.2% from the three-point line, and 79.5% from the charity stripe.
Keep an eye out on the Lakers until the trade deadline, as they are going to make at least one if not multiple moves to improve their roster. But one thing is for certain; Austin Reaves must be untouchable going forward.
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