JJ Redick thought he knew how good Austin Reaves was when he took over as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers but is pleasantly surprised to have been proven wrong. Following the Lakers’ incredible 123-116 win over the Phoenix Suns, Redick stated that Reaves is even better than he’d imagined he’d be.
“He’s a guy that has thrust and a pace to his offensive game in the half-court, we need that,” Redick said. “He was just fantastic in the second half. I knew he was a great player before I took this job. Been around him since July and every day it’s like he keeps getting better and showing more.
“I didn’t realize he was this good,” Redick added. “I knew he was good. I didn’t realize he was this good. He’s a fantastic basketball player.”
Reaves had a very impressive outing against the Suns, finishing with 26 points, four rebounds, eight assists, three steals, and one block. The 26-year-old had 15 points in the second half and played a big part in the Lakers overturning a 22-point deficit to improve to 2-0 on the season.
Reaves revealed during his postgame interview that Redick had sent him a text in the early hours of Friday in which he implied he thought he could have a good game against the Suns and he sure did. The guard had struggled in preseason and wasn’t all that impressive in the opener against the Timberwolves but his quality shone through here.
Rob Pelinka Backed Austin Reaves To Take A Leap Like Jalen Brunson Did
While Redick didn’t think Reaves was this good, Lakers GM Rob Pelinka sure did. Last month, Pelinka stated Reaves could take a leap like Jalen Brunson did when he joined the New York Knicks.
“On the other side of the ball, just again seeing Austin in some of these scrimmages, like his confidence with the ball, is something that has really stood out,” Pelinka said. “And I’m excited for our fans to see that.”
“You look at evolutions of players, and I don’t compare players around the league, but you look at… a great player like a Jalen Brunson and the jump he had from his Dallas days to New York,” Pelinka continued. “Is there that delta? I’m not trying to put expectations like that on Austin Reaves, but you can see players develop in big ways throughout their career, and I’m gonna put my tokens down on Austin Reaves to do that just because of the work he puts in and just his fabric and nature. He’s an incredibly tough person and an incredible competitor and those things tend to elevate guys throughout their career.”
The performance that Reaves put in against the Suns is what we have grown accustomed to seeing from Brunson since he joined the Knicks. Do I believe the Lakers guard is going to take a leap like the one-time All-Star, though? Not really.
I don’t think Reaves is ever going to become a superstar in the NBA like Brunson. I think he’s going to be a borderline star at best and there’s no shame in that.
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