Photograph: Christian Petersen/Getty Images
“Go win the ball game, AR! Go win the ball game!” LeBron James is shouting in Austin Reaves’ ear as he speaks to a reporter for a walk-off interview. It is just moments after the Lakers’ scintillating overtime win against the Clippers on their shared home turf in Los Angeles, marking their first win against their Crypto.com Arena co-tenants in a dozen tries. Reaves, of course, didn’t single-handedly secure the victory. It was a true team effort, led by James himself setting the record for most points ever (35) by a player in their 21st season.
But James is emphasizing the conclusion to which everyone in the organization (and many more in the NBA at large) have already arrived: Reaves is – as he bellowed after sinking a half-court buzzer-beater against the Golden State Warriors during last year’s playoffs – him.
To say that Reaves had a rough start to this season is, admittedly, an understatement. Yes, the 6ft 5in, 197lb shooting guard was still impactful in some ways in the first few Lakers outings, but his signature verve, the propulsive drives to the basket resulting in timely buckets, the unlikely heaves from distance swishing through the basket, were missing. Perhaps, it was speculated, this was a result of the acclimating to his newfound place in the spotlight, or a side effect of having essentially no offseason (due to his feature role for Team USA at the Fiba World Cup over the summer), or maybe even just an adjustment period to the new-look Laker lineup.
Whatever the cause, the dip in quality had the internet proletariat and the roundtable pros alike chattering, and at a deafening volume. One of the unfortunate side effects of commanding people’s attention, it turns out, is that they’re constantly looking for proof that you don’t deserve it. Reaves is a floppy-haired, undrafted white kid from a small town in rural Arkansas; he would look equally at home selling orange puffer jackets at Bass Pro Shops as he does in an NBA uniform. What were the odds that he was the real deal, that his unlikely ascent to becoming the Lakers’ third best…
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