LeBron James recently took to Twitter with some words of appreciation for his teammate Austin Reaves. Reaves was recently a part of a story that explains his journey from a barn to the NBA.
My guy, my dog- telling his story and love that he getting the attention he deserves. Laker Nation has something very special and he just getting started. 💜💛 https://t.co/RAUtUhRikF
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 23, 2022
Austin Reaves was a normal kid from Newark, Arizona. He declared for the NBA Draft in 2021 and actually went undrafted. The crazy part about his journey is that he is currently an active player for the Los Angeles Lakers despite going undrafted.
Austin Reaves deserves all the praise that LeBron James and the NBA world are sending his way
If you look at his journey and the things that he does on the court, then it’ll be all but clear that he deserves to be in the position that he is in. Reaves had the highest net rating for the Lakers last season. A kid playing his first year of professional basketball led a team full of great players like Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis in net rating.
But his impact on the court goes way beyond his stats. Reaves brings a ton of tenacity to both ends of the floor for the Lakers, he also takes more charges than anyone on the team, with the position that the Lakers are currently in they could definitely use more of the same spirit that he brings to the team every day. He never stops on the defensive end and there have been times when he has helped save the Lakers with clutch defensive plays down the stretch.
You have to be doing something right to get praised by LeBron James who is most definitely a top 2 player of all time.
The cows moo. Maybe, like everyone in this pocket of farm towns, they want to talk to an NBA player.
Austin Reaves moos back. “You never liked the cows,” his mom said.
Here’s how an undrafted basketball talent found his way from Arkansas to the #Lakers. https://t.co/zKDlpNmmjM
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) June 23, 2022
Austin doesn’t play a lot of minutes but he is extremely dependable when he does play. With how successful of a signing Austin Reaves has been, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if the Lakers try to find more undrafted talent after this year’s NBA Draft.