Austin Reaves, who had his back to the floor of the Crypto.com Arena, sighed, “… finally,” as he looked up at the ceiling. He had just finished a three-point play after being fouled by Norman Powell on a play that gave the Lakers a lead that would last until the end of the overtime period.
The Clippers were defeated 130-125 on Wednesday, providing some respite for Reaves, who had been in a terrible shooting slump since the start of the season. After scoring six more points in the final minutes of the third quarter and seven more in overtime, he finished with a season-high 15 points. “Dudes, you have to fight your way out of these stretches.” Reaves remarked. That is my current activity.
Reaves was given a four-year contract worth nearly $54 million because they had enough faith in him as a former undrafted free agent. To have any chance of winning a championship, he will need to perform better than he currently does for the Lakers. 38-year-old LeBron James cannot be counted on to play 42 minutes and score 35 points every night, as he did against the Clippers.
In the Clippers game, Reaves made four of his final eight shots, but he only made five of his thirteen overall. He is shooting 34.5% for the season. He scored 14, 10, 5, and 11 points in his previous four games. Reaves’s time with Team USA lasted more than five weeks, and Lakers coach Darvin Ham wondered aloud if Reaves was still experiencing the effects of that time.
Ham uttered, “I am just thinking it is plenty.” You play with Team USA for the entire summer and advance all the way to the Western Conference finals. I think it was about six weeks total that they had together with that group. And then you come in, basically finish with Team USA in September, and have to hit the ground running with your normal team. It’s just a process of him working through it.” James offered a similar theory. “It’s going to take a little bit for his legs to get back under him,” James said. Fatigue isn’t the only obstacle, however. Reaves is now a marked man. “Everyone is aware of him now, for sure, after last season, the way he ended it, and the summer he had with Team USA,” Ham said. “He’s not sneaking up on anybody. He’s no longer a secret weapon. People are well aware of what he could do.”
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