After the Los Angeles Lakers finished up their morning shootaround, Austin Reaves spoke to reporters and got honest about his bench role.
The Lakers are 3-7 over their last 10 games and head coach Darvin Ham recently made a change to the starting lineup. However, Reaves is still coming off the bench.
The Lakers are starting LeBron James, Cam Reddish, Taurean Prince, Jarred Vanderbilt and Anthony Davis right now. It’s a bizarre starting lineup since Reddish and Vanderbilt are not good shooters. While Prince is shooting 40.1% from beyond the arc this season, he’s not a reliable playmaker.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Austin Reaves, Los Angeles Lakers Updates
Many Lakers fans believe Reaves should be starting since he was a starter in the 2023 playoffs and Los Angeles made it to the Western Conference Finals. Reaves, 25, is averaging 15.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists this season while shooting 47.7% from the field, 35.7% from beyond the arc and 87.7% from the free-throw line.
In the 2023 postseason, the Lakers started D’Angelo Russell, Reaves, Vanderbilt, LeBron and Davis. Both Russell and Reaves come off the bench this season despite being trustworthy shooters and playmakers. For whatever reason, Ham believes Russell and Reaves are better suited to come off the bench.
The Lakers are only 17-17 on the season. They are in 10th place in the Western Conference standings. The team has looked terrible since winning the In-Season Tournament in Las Vegas and many people around the NBA believe Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka needs to make a trade or two to save the season.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Austin Reaves, Los Angeles Lakers Updates
Reaves, who signed a four-year, $53 million contract with the Lakers in July, is not expected to be traded. However, you can never say never in the NBA.
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