With Luka Doncic and LeBron James sidelined, Austin Reaves has assumed both scoring and leadership duties for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Head coach JJ Redick said the third-year guard is becoming noticeably more vocal during games and timeouts. “Whether it’s on defense or offense, he’s been great in the huddles,” Redick noted, pointing to a late-game sequence in which Reaves instructed rookie Dalton Knecht to slip inside for an alley-oop after a replay review left 1.3 seconds on the clock.
On the floor, Reaves has averaged 46.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists while shooting 56.8 percent overall and 50 percent from three-point range over the past two contests, production the Lakers have leaned on with their two superstars out.
Short-Handed Lakers Fall in Portland
Los Angeles dropped the second game of a back-to-back to the Portland Trail Blazers, playing without seven regulars. Reaves said the effort was there but execution lagged. “We played hard enough to win,” he told reporters. “We just didn’t execute as good as we needed to.”
The Lakers continue a difficult stretch of the schedule with injuries testing both their rotation depth and locker-room hierarchy. Redick indicated Reaves’ expanding role as an on-court organizer is helping keep the team connected during the early-season adversity.
Source: Lakers Nation
