The Los Angeles Lakers will begin the upcoming NBA season with a markedly different roster, and guard Austin Reaves says he is prepared to guide the retooled group if the coaching staff asks.
With LeBron James departing and rotation players Rui Hachimura and Marcus Smart also moving on, the club added Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Collin Sexton during the offseason. Reaves, 28, returned on a four-year maximum contract and is now the team’s longest-tenured player.
“I mean obviously being with the guys that are leaving for a couple years, and then Bron for five years, you hate to see guys like that go,” Reaves said. “But the pieces that are coming in, very excited about and happy to get started.”
The guard acknowledged that chemistry will need to be built quickly and said he is willing to take on a larger voice in the locker room. “Everybody knows it’s a completely different team and there’s gonna be different things asked of different people,” he noted. “If that’s what JJ and the staff ask of me I’ll do it to the best of my abilities.”
Before the recent signing of veteran center Kevon Looney, Reaves had been the oldest Laker despite entering the league three years after teammates such as Sexton and Jarred Vanderbilt. He now figures to share leadership duties with fellow cornerstone Luka Doncic as Los Angeles attempts to climb back into championship contention.
Reaves’ new deal replaces what had been considered one of the league’s most team-friendly contracts. Golden State forward Draymond Green publicly reminded him that greater pay will bring heightened expectations and pressure.
Source: Lakers Nation
