SALT LAKE CITY — With nearly 20 percent of the Los Angeles Lakers’ regular season behind him, Austin Reaves sat at his locker in Utah in as good a position as he has been in his five-year NBA career.
His team had just held on to beat the Utah Jazz for its fourth straight victory, improving to 12-4 on the season – tied for the third-best record in the NBA. He had another 20+ point game, something he has done in all but one of his games this season.
And, although it might not come to mind, a huge payday awaits Reaves this summer when he can become an unrestricted free agent and earn more than $40 million per season.
Almost everything was going well – until Reaves was asked about the most glaring thing that wasn’t working.
At the mention of his and the Lakers’ 3-point shot, Reaves leaned back in his chair and made another clicking noise — this time with the back of his head bouncing off the frame of his locker.
“F—,” he said before apologizing to the team’s communications staff.
Maybe the quick shot to the back of the head will be the answer to getting Reaves and the Lakers shooters back on track.
“I’ll do anything to make a 3,” he half-joked after going 1 of 8 from behind the arc against the Jazz.
He is not alone. Despite the Lakers’ best 16-game stretch to open a year since 2021, their shooters are almost universally ice cold. Los Angeles’ three leaders in three-point attempts, Luka Dončić, Reaves and Marcus Smart, are making a combined 29.6 percent. Dončić and Reaves are both at 31.1 percent from 3, both significantly below their career averages.
“I think me and AR haven’t made a single shot this season,” Dončić said.
Only the Indiana Pacers, Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers and Memphis Grizzlies have a percentage below 3. These teams started the year with a combined score of 20-48.
The Lakers have still failed to shoot better than 33 percent in three straight games this season, with the decline now extending beyond the first month of their schedule. They went 10 of 38 (26.3 percent) on Sunday.
“We’re literally one of the worst shooting teams in the NBA right now,” coach JJ Redick told his team after the game. “I don’t think that’s who we are. We have to make shots. We have to shoot them with confidence.”
When asked if his team is shooting with confidence right now, Redick quickly responded: “We’re shooting.”
So how did the Lakers, with their 15th-ranked offense and 14th-ranked defense, manage to win games like Sunday’s?
“I think it’s just a matter of chemistry. The care factor is high,” Reaves said. “You want to go out there and do whatever you can to help each other succeed. And I think that goes a long way. There’s no selfishness; everyone wants to see everyone else succeed.”
The Lakers continued to try to build team chemistry throughout the season, both on and off the court. On Friday, instead of practicing, they held a pickleball tournament. LeBron James’ sciatic irritation forced them to learn how to win on the penalty kill from the jump, an ability that was strengthened when they had to play – and win – without Dončić and Reaves earlier this year.
“Just our resilience,” Smart said. “It’s something new every game for us.”
The latest is a knee contusion that knocked Deandre Ayton out of the second half on Sunday. The team did not have an update on his condition after the game.
In addition to toughness and atmosphere, James’ return helped raise the Lakers’ ceiling. He had 17 points, six rebounds and eight assists against the Jazz – although he went 0 of 4 from 3.
“I’m in great physical shape,” James said. “But as far as my wind, I have to (keep working). And it doesn’t help that this is my second game at altitude in Utah. It doesn’t help, that’s for sure. So every game, I’m going to get better. My wind will get better and better. But, s—, this week was kind of like my training camp for me, to be honest. I didn’t get a chance to practice with the guys at all throughout camp, throughout the pre-season.
“So I’m still coming back.”
James is expected to help with filming. The same goes for the improvement of Dončić and Reaves. Despite the poor numbers, no one is too worried, as the Lakers are happy with the offense they are creating even if the results aren’t entirely there.
“It doesn’t worry us,” James said. “We have too many good shooters. This won’t last.”
Eventually, Redick admitted, the Lakers will have to shoot the ball better. But for now, the foundation they’re building, in which they’ve survived all 3 misses, makes them believe the rims will eventually come loose.
“Our unity is important, playing for each other, the bench mentality tonight was great,” Redick said. “I think there’s something about this group where whatever the demands of the game are that night, that’s what we’re going to do to try to put ourselves in a position to win. We had to, kind of, from a strategic standpoint, mix a bunch of different things together, and the guys were convinced to just say, ‘Hey, this is what tonight calls for.’ “
“Let’s go out there and try to execute this.”
