THE Lakers placed a bet as huge as LeBron James‘ shoulders, and they placed that bet on a former undrafted guard.
Absent a blockbuster trade for a third superstar who could play alongside James and Anthony Davisthey entrusted their team to Austin Reaves.
Dealing D’Angelo Russell to the Brooklyn Nets it wasn’t just about making payroll. The trade was also intended to free up time and space for the 26-year-old Reaves.
To be more in the know.
To create more.
It won’t turn the Lakers into contenders overnight, but they might as well figure it out what they have in Reaves before deciding whether or not to trade the future first-round picks they have held onto thus far.
Is Reaves just a solid role player on an affordable contract? Or can he be more than that, maybe even an All-Star?
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The Lakers are not Reaves’ team, but this is Reaves’ time.
For now, they’ll have to live and die with him, just like they do with James and Davis, just like they did Tuesday night in a 122-110 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Reaves was reckless or stunning against the team with the best record in the NBA, committing three turnovers in the first six minutes but finishing with 35 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.
His point total was equal to his career high.
Coach JJ Redick said he talked to Reaves about “having the patience to just make simple plays.”
Then again, Redick added: “There’s a nature to his game that you have to be willing to live with some of his stuff because of the way he attacks and the change of pace and the quick decisions and the quick bursts . There will be a bit of that and you will have to live with that. This is kind of the unforced thing (where he) will grow.
Redick’s trust in Reaves is what pushed Russell to the bench earlier this season. Reaves’ play in the previous two games solidified the Lakers’ determination to include Russell in a package for which they received Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton in return.
Reaves recorded a triple-double and scored the winning basket in a Christmas Day victory over the Golden State Warriors. He recorded a career-high 16 assists in a defeat the Sacramento Kings on Saturday. He scored 17 points in the fourth quarter against the Cavaliers.
“Like I always say, play the game the right way and just do what the game asks,” Reaves said. “If it’s a goal, score. If not, play games. But in the end, we just need to get organized, get started on the tasks we need to do.
Reaves may have downplayed his expanded role, but that’s nothing minor. As he became a staple in the Lakers’ rotation, many wondered if a team could win a championship with him as their third-best player. The rest of this season should produce a definitive answer.
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Whatever the Lakers are learning about Reaves, the reality is they still don’t come close to contending, even after landing a capable defender and three-point shooter in Finney-Smith. The defeat against the Cavaliers is proof of this.
The Lakers had virtually no offense outside of Reaves, Davis and James. Rui Hachimura was particularly ineffective, scoring only seven points on 3 of 10 shooting. The bench was also unproductive, accumulating only 12 points, compared to 32 scored by the opposing reserves.
They made half as many three-pointers as the Cavaliers.
James didn’t speak after the game, but he didn’t have to. His words from the day before were enough.
Speaking to reporters at the Lakers practice facility on the eve of New Year’s Eve, James said he was encouraged by the additions of Finney-Smith and Milton.
It also introduced a measure of reality into the conversation.
“Are we at championship level? » asked James. “Can we win a championship now? »
He answered his own question: “No, I don’t think so. »
Reaves won’t change that reality no matter how he plays. But his performance will tell general manager Rob Pelinka what he should do next, whether the next wave of reinforcements should be players who enhance what Reaves does or move him back into a peripheral role.
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This story was originally published in Los Angeles Times.
