Austin Reaves: Anyone Who Still Thinks LeBron James Has Something To Prove Is Michael Jordan Fan
Yesterday at 03:02 PM
With Luka Doncic sitting out, it was up to LeBron James and Austin Reaves to power the Los Angeles Lakers offense in Portland against the Trail Blazers and they were up to the challenge. Reaves poured in 32 points and seven assists, but it was LeBron leading the way with his second 40-point outing of the season to lift the Lakers to an eight-point win.
It was another special night for LeBron, and on the second night of a back-to-back no less. At 40 years old and in his 22nd NBA season, it would’ve almost been expected for him to sit out, especially considering he was a last minute scratch from the All-Star Game this past Sunday.
But that wasn’t the case and Reaves had nothing but praise for his Lakers teammate. After the win, Reaves would make it clear that anyone still questioning LeBron at this point is simply holding on to their fandom of Michael Jordan, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“When we had practice on the 18th after practice, because I don’t know if I had talked to him throughout the whole break and obviously he’s talked about quite a bit on social media. So you see the things, don’t know if he’s gonna play either one of these last two games and I just asked him after practice I was like ,’are you playing?’ Just piqued my curiosity and he was like ‘yeah, I’m playing both,’ so I was like ‘hell yeah.’ Just having him out there, his approach to the game, like you said he really don’t have anything else to prove and if people say he does, then they’re (Michael) Jordan fans. It’s very impressive just to see his routine. He was in here before the game, him and Mikey (Mancias) were putting in the work. He never stops, which is very impressive because sometimes I just wanna go lay down and take a nap and he’s over there doing some type of treatment. So shoutout to him. Pretty good player.”
As others noted after the game, when a 40-year old James is constantly pushing himself not only in games, but every day in practice as well, it makes it impossible for anyone else on the roster to slack off. The moment Reaves found out LeBron would be playing, he knew he had to be ready as well and that is the same for the rest of the Lakers.
Whether you consider James the greatest player in NBA history or not, it is impossible to deny that nobody has ever been this good for this long in their career. And he continues to set the standard for the rest of the Lakers to follow.
Lakers coach JJ Redick showers LeBron James with praise following 40-point performance
Austin Reaves wasn’t the only one in awe of LeBron James on Thursday night as Lakers coach JJ Redick had nothing but glowing words for the superstar following the victory in Portland.
Redick said James defies everything that’s normal and not just on the court, but especially with his mentality and work ethic. While acknowledging how he might come off to some with his effusive praise, Redick said LeBron is amazing to coach while calling his overall mindset the most incredible thing about him.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
