Austin Reaves Shares When He Believes He Fully Gained LeBron James’s Trust.

Austin Reaves Shares When He Believes He Fully Gained LeBron James’s Trust.

The success of the Lakers has been greatly attributed to Austin Reaves’s participation.

But without the mutual respect and on-court rapport he has developed with Lakers star LeBron James, the third-year guard would not be in his current position. While Reaves is always “trying” to earn the complete faith of the 19-time All-Star on the court, he feels that the first real test of James’ trust came during the opening game of the Lakers’ playoff series against the Grizzlies in the previous campaign.

On a future episode of The Old Man and the Three podcast, Reaves stated, “I remember in the fourth quarter when I had it going, there was a shot.” “.. When I reach half court and Bron has the ball, I hear him calling my name. Come get the ball, he said. I thought, “Oh sh*t, I have to make something positive happen.” I can’t make him appear foolish. I know everyone is staring at him sourly for handing me the ball, but thank God it worked out. And after the game, I kind of sat there, attempting to understand what had truly transpired.

In the first-round series, the Lakers went on to demolish the Grizzlies 4-0. Reaves averaged 16.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game across those six contests. Reaves averaged his best point total per game (21.0) in the Western Conference finals, even though the Nuggets swept the Lakers, even though his production declined in the Lakers’ semifinal series against the Warriors.

Reaves is having a great season with the Lakers, who are now ninth in the Western Conference. He is averaging career highs in minutes (29.6), rebounds (4.7), assists (5.0), and points (15.0) per game.