Watch: Austin Reaves rejects Kevin Durant at the summit, just days after crying for help
Third-year LA Lakers player Austin Reaves knows that guarding NBA superstar Kevin Durant is no easy task. However, every now and then, one can get the better of the Phoenix Suns All-Star from the defensive end.
The 25-year-old Reaves found himself in such a situation in the early goings of their game against the Suns on Thursday.
Reaves blocked ‘KD at the rim to send the home crowd to celebration.
Watch Austin Reaves soar to block Kevin Durant’s shot:
The heads-up defensive play came just days after Austin Reaves was left clueless on how to defend Durant in a preseason game.
“’Bro, what am I suppose to do [on defense],’ he was quoted as saying in response to the ‘Don’t have him guard me next week’ smack talk that Durant dished out to the Lakers coaching staff.”
Reaves had a solid season-opener for the Lakers on Tuesday against the defending champions Denver Nuggets.
He finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals in 31 minutes. The Lakers, though, lost the game 119-107.
Against the Suns, apart from the block, Reaves had four points and two rebounds at the half.
Austin Reaves taking cue from great experience at FIBA World Cup
Entering the just-started NBA season, LA Lakers guard Austin Reaves had added bounce to his game, thanks to the great experience he had in the summer playing for Team USA at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
One of the young NBA stars whose services were asked by the team, he went on to play and represent his country well.
In an interview with sports website Basketball Network, Reaves said that his experience with Team USA should only make him better in his young NBA journey.
The Oklahoma product said:
“I think it’s just being around professionals. Just being around guys who have done this for so long, even the coaching staff. Just being able to pick their brain and seeing how they go about the game.
"Seeing their work ethics and how people do things differently because everybody’s not the same, and I think taking a little bit of that from each one of them has helped me.”
At the FIBA World Cup, Reaves was the team’s second-leading scorer with 13.8 points per game, behind only Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Anthony Edwards (18.9 ppg), to go along with 2.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.3 steals.
The team, though, missed out on a podium finish,