“I won a championship with LeBron James”: Austin Reaves hopes to enjoy fairytale run next to 4x MVP which he could share with his kids
Austin Reaves has high aspirations while playing next to LeBron James in his third NBA season. The LA Lakers rising star hopes to win a championship next to arguably the greatest player ever. Reaves has accomplished plenty in his short career thus far, but a championship remains the ceiling, especially after his startling growth into a reliable threat on a contending team.
The Lakers seem to have assembled the team to get over the line after last year's conference finals run ended in a 4-0 series loss to the eventual champions Denver Nuggets. Reaves is a crucial component in this scenario, who the Lakers are significantly banking on after offering him a four-year $56 million deal in restricted free agency.
Austin Reaves is no longer the sporadic role player finding his feet and a spot within the squad. Reaves is keen to make amends and script a fairytale run in his underdog story by celebrating a championship with LeBron James. He hopes to have this story ready for his kids 20 years down the line.
"Twenty years from now, if I’m lucky enough to have kids, I could be like, I won a championship with LeBron James," Reaves told The Ringer. "That’s all I really care about right now."
Austin Reaves enters third season as third star behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis
After introducing himself as a legitimate NBA prospect while on a two-way deal, Austin Reaves cemented himself as a starter. He then proceeded to cement his spot as the third option behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis for the Lakers. It all started once the Lakers flipped their team at the trade deadline last season.
Reaves initially came off the bench, but after then-new recruit Malik Beasley struggled in his starting role, Darvin Ham inserted the undrafted guard into the lineup and never looked back. Reaves averaged 18.3 points (third highest on the team) and 6.1 assists in his final 10 starts of the season.
He shot 57.1%, including 48.6% from deep and 89.8% from the charity stripe. Many felt he was on his 'Linsanity run' that wouldn't last beyond the regular season. However, Reaves continued putting the work in and proved his critics wrong with stunning displays during the playoffs.
He averaged 16.9 points in his debut playoffs run while shooting on 46/44/90 splits. Reaves wasn't just standing in the corner. He was trusted to make plays by LeBron James and Anthony Davis in crunch situations, initiate the offense more than the former during certain games and close the proceedings.
Austin Reaves translated that form into the FIBA World Cup, where he was the USA's second-best scorer, averaging 13.1 points per game off the bench. Reaves grew with confidence after that international run. He is truly ready to be the third option in his third year behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis as the Lakers take a swing at hanging a record 18th banner in the rafters.