Austin Reaves Discussion: Overachiever Who Underachieved

yeah...i think morant's (admittedly jaw-dropping) highlights overshadow how much of games he spends not doing things like that.

and reaves is definitely playing at "3rd star" level offensively this year. i'd go as far as to ask which team's third offensive option is better on offense? seriously? maybe bane in memphis, actually? rj barrett or ingram in toronto?

it's really unusual to have a 20/5/5 guy as your clear third-best offensive player. and this was true pre-luka trade, too.

speaks even more to the fact that all of our roster choices in the near term need to have defense in mind. our three great offensive players all leave things to be desired on the other end, so everyone else needs to bring it there. gabe, vando, and DFS do, imo. rui and hayes...sometimes? knecht? rarely.

ideally, your top guys are all two-way players--as is the case with most contenders--but denver has shown how to win when that's not the case.

 

Austin Reaves is a Big dude to be handling the ball and producing the moves the way he does. Even Luka doesn't have the crazy juking setups to HIS crossover and other moves IMO that AR does at only an inch shorter. He's also got tremendous strength in his legs which .... you know me (leg guy ) are where his great leverage for his weight come from. And is a beast / tough MFer in his own right. I had to go back Tuesday night and take these screen grabs of him trucking Klay Thompson on the way to a lay up and one.

When he goes he goes hard and at low angles if needed.





He knows the hard contact is coming and cradling the ball like a running back .... BOOM!! .... it's not going to be "HIM" knocked off course or balance.



Note the legs ^^^

In my best Howard Cosell accent .... Down goes Thompson! Down goes Thompson!



3 points ring it up!!!

 

Oh OK … barefoot at 6’7” did not know that … thought it was with shoes. AR is 6’5 3/4” with shoes.

 

I was mis-remembering Chuck at around 6’4” with his weight and HOPS but you are right.

https://www.google.com/search?q=How...kley&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari

 

Size on Lakers …. we talkin bout Size?

LeBron … Luka … Rui … Jaxson … Vando … DFS … DK … AR.

Especially those first 3 Guys as a trio with their skills you have immense problems with in isolation to contain are a LOAD!!! Big. Thick.

 

Yeah, Luka has a short neck, broad shoulders, and a long wingspan, which effectively makes him a 6'8 player. Add to that his strength and weight, he's basically a PF in terms of body type.

 

Lot of banged up Lakers right now. Hopefully it's precautionary and he'll be back out there Sunday

 

Praying for good results on that MRI today.

 

he helps balance our scoring tremendously

 

Need this guy healthy. Take all the precaution you need.

 

Our best FT shooter on the team, besides…. The guy I can’t stand… **Vincent** I only trust him to make FTs, whether crunch time or the first minute of the game. Seems to really be the only person on the team who swishes the ball a lot from the field.

If we want to go deep into the postseason, I truly believe AR is going to be a huge key if we want to be successful. He has both the playmaking and shooting down pat. Just another dimension for other teams to worry about when he’s out there.

It doesn’t stop there, he probably leads our team in charges taken, is never afraid to sacrifice his body. He absolutely knows how to draw contact, and get the calls. I love you AR, get better soon, and yes please don’t rush back until you’re 100%.

 

.... don't be getting too attached Pops, you know he'd make a nice trade piece this summer.

 

Lol

 

Greta Babe!!

It's a long running joke with him.

 

Day to day is a lot better than two weeks away. I'll take it.