There is absolutely zero doubt that Austin Reaves would have been suiting up for the All-Star game this weekend if it weren’t for that brutal calf injury on Christmas Day. Missing 19 consecutive games in January was a massive blow to the Lakers’ momentum, especially after Reaves proved he was ready for a full-blown “superstar leap” by dropping a career-high 51 points earlier in the season.
With a career-high-tying 16 assists also on his resume this year, he has firmly established himself as the team’s most reliable scoring threat alongside a 41-year-old LeBron James and the league’s current scoring leader, Luka Doncic. While this “Big Three” has only logged 10 games together due to various injuries, Doncic remains adamant that they have the firepower to go all the way if they can just stay on the floor.
The Surprising Mentor Behind Austin Reaves Rise
Since signing as an undrafted free agent in 2021, Reaves has managed to do the impossible: improve his points, rebounds, and assists every single year while playing in the loudest pressure cooker in professional sports.
But even the most gifted “overachievers” need a veteran to show them the ropes. In a revealing new interview with SLAM, Reaves pulled back the curtain on his rookie year, crediting two-time champion Rajon Rondo, a man who reached the mountaintop with both the Celtics and Lakers, as the mentor who truly shaped his pro career.
Reaves recalled that then coach Frank Vogel specifically pushed him toward the veteran point guard to accelerate his learning curve. Frank [Vogel] pulled me to the side and was like, ‘Anything you have a question for, if you don’t feel comfortable talking to the staff or whatever, talk to him. Because everybody knows his IQ for the game,'” Reaves shared.
Even though the partnership was short-lived, Rondo was traded to Cleveland in January 2022, the veteran’s obsessive approach to the game left a permanent mark on Reaves’ playstyle. Of course, Austin didn’t forget the King’s influence either, noting that LeBron was “super helpful” during that first year, always willing to guide him through the chaos of being a Laker.
Testing the Lakers’ Championship DNA in February
Despite the Lakers’ primary stars spending more time in the trainer’s room than on the hardwood this season, the team has somehow stayed afloat in the playoff standings. Now that the squad is finally trending toward full health, the “real” season begins.
The Lakers’ schedule immediately following the All-Star break is a gauntlet that will serve as the ultimate litmus test for their championship aspirations. The back half of February sees L.A. hosting a trio of heavy hitters: the Clippers, the rival Celtics, and a surging Magic team.
If that wasn’t enough, they’ll have to hit the road for high-stakes divisional clashes against the Suns and Warriors, two teams currently nipping at their heels in the Western Conference. If the Luka-Reaves-LeBron experiment is actually going to result in a ring, we’re about to find out.
There’s no more room for “what ifs”; it’s time to see if this trio can sustain the energy needed to climb back into the top four.
