"Kept receipts on all third superstar bull***t: Austin Reaves' agent believes JJ Redick will unlock a new level of the Lakers guard
Austin Reaves' agent believes new LA Lakers head coach JJ Redick will unlock a new level of the guard. Aaron Reilly seemed confident that the 39-year-old was the right person to elevate Reaves in his third season with the Purple and Gold. After starting as a role player, Reeves quickly transitioned to a starter and was rewarded with a four-year, $53 million deal last summer. In addition to calling him a great hire for LA, Reilly also added that receipts were kept of Reaves as the team's third star.
Taking to Twitter/X, Reilly tweeted news of Redick's hire as the new LA head coach.
"This coach is about to show a different part of Austin’s game that none of you have seen. Kept receipts on all that third superstar bullshit. Great hire for LA - going to be a big year next season."
Austin Reaves is coming off an 82-game season for the Lakers, averaging 15.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.5 assists. It was his career-best season with the franchise as he finished fourth in scoring for the Lakers.
Redick replaces Darvin Ham who was fired on May 3 despite leading the side to two playoff berths and a Western Conference finals appearance last season. Like his predecessor Frank Vogel, Ham's tenure with the Lakers lasted two years as well.
Austin Reaves and D'Angelo Russell being relegated to bench roles by Darvin Ham miffed Lakers organization
Former LA Lakers head coach Darvin Ham's decision to relegate Austin Reaves, and D'Angelo Russell to the bench for a stretch of games last year left many experts baffled. He opted to start with more wing-heavy lineups of Taurean Prince and Cam Reddish. This reportedly didn't go down well within the organization. According to The Athletic's Jovan Buha and Shams Charania:
"During the 13-game skid, the Lakers used six starting lineups, including two variations of an all-wing lineup — James, Davis, Taurean Prince, Vanderbilt and either Cam Reddish or Hachimura — for five games (the team went 2-3). The decision to bench both Reaves and Russell, the team’s consensus third- and fourth-best players, did not sit well with many within the organization and locker room, according to team and league sources."
Reaves and Russell were then pushed back into the lineup that featured Jarred Vanderbilt, Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
Now, that the Lakers enter free agency with James reportedly likely to re-sign with LA, Redick will now have to see how he can use Austin Reaves and develop him over the next few seasons as LA's bonafide franchise player.