2023-05-09 17:32:00
NBA — No doubt caught up in the pressure and the challenge for his first playoffs, Austin Reaves had been in the hard for five games, but he found himself making the difference again for the Lakers in Game 4 against the Warriors.
Author of 21 points in 34 minutes, 7/15 to shoot (including 3/6 to 3-pointers) and 4/4 to free throws, the “combo guard” spared no effort in attack to impose as the third offensive option of The Angelsgiven the lack of success of his “backcourt” friend, D’Angelo Russell.
Also empowered in defense, to try to slow down including Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson, Austin Reaves mainly distinguished himself in the second half, where he scored 14 of his 21 points. With in particular this big sequence after returning from the locker room, where he initiated a “run” of 10-0 which put the ideas of the “Purple & Gold” in order (before a new collective cracking nevertheless occurred)…
Enough to regain confidence, at the end of five more complicated games in the game, where the player of almost 25 years old only turned to 11.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists on average, for only 34% success in shooting ( including 28% from 3-pointers).
« In this series, every time I left the field, I was frustrated because I had not played well », does he deliver on this subject. ” But I remember one time, LeBron [James] told me to forget all about it. I’m in this position for a reason, I showed what I could do and everyone believes in me. Get that kind of validation [de la part de ses coéquipiers et de son coach, ndlr] even when you go through complicated times, it can only give you the confidence to continue to be yourself. »
Boosted by… Gary Payton “himself”!
Attractive at the start of these playoffs, with 17.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 average assists in the first four games of the series against the Grizzlies (49% in shooting, including 41% from 3-pointers), Austin Reaves then experienced a big slump, which however did not disturb the beautiful alchemy found by the Lakers.
Frustrating, but not surprising, since it must be remembered that the one who was not drafted when he left Oklahoma University is participating in the very first playoff campaign of his career…
« It’s his first playoffs and he’s doing a great job of struggling through the ups and downs, trying to stay aggressive, involved, focused and not losing his footing. », positive son coach, Darwin Ham. « I expect him to be fearless, as always, and he was. There were times when he was not good, but he is a soldier, I went to him and I said to him: ‘Stay aggressive, always, and be ready’. He just needs to continue to be unafraid, aggressive and focused, as usual. He will go through them, these difficult trials. »
To cross them, Austin Reaves was able to rely indirectly on the words spoken to him by a certain… Gary Payton. ” I like you, you got that dog in you and I like that, I like that you have that in you
“, So slipped him the leader Hall of Famer, who is none other than the father of Gary Payton II, player of … Golden State!
« Honestly I didn’t care like I should have because I was pissed off about the game “, he explains, concerning this sequence that occurred at the exit of Game 2 lost by his family. ” But afterwards, I got on the bus and I said to myself: ‘Wait, this just happened!’. He’s the ultimate dog, a very, very, very, very referenced basketball player and defender, so for him to recognize what I’m doing is something special. As soon as you get that from a Hall of Famer or someone who’s been in the league for a long time, it means a lot. »
On-the-fly learning
It remains to be seen whether Austin Reaves will manage to capitalize on this rebound for the rest of his conference semi-final and why not for the rest of the playoffs, in the event of qualification for the conference final to challenge the Nuggets or the Suns there. According to the person concerned, this has everything to boost him mentally, but also physically…
« I’m an honest man and I feel good right now, a little better than in the previous three games “, he admits in this regard. ” But that’s part of the game: I spent all six games of the first series chasing [Desmond] Bane a Yes [Morant]we are in the 92nd game of the season [le 93e en réalité, ndlr] and these are my first playoffs. It’s like I’m playing three college seasons in one, so I’m learning on the fly and it’s a lot of fun. There are good veterans around me to help me learn. »
Despite his lack of experience at the highest level, Austin Reaves is not fooled: he knows full well that it is now necessary to finish off the Warriors, to prevent them from reversing a new badly embarked situation…
« This streak is far from over, we gotta go and win again “, He warns as well, while Game 5 will be disputed this Thursday, in San Francisco.
| Austin Reaves | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saison | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | Until | Pd | Fte | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2021-22 | LAL | 61 | 23 | 45.9 | 31.7 | 83.9 | 0.7 | 2.4 | 3.2 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 7.3 |
| 2022-23 | LAL | 64 | 29 | 52.9 | 39.8 | 86.4 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 13.0 |
| Total | 125 | 26 | 50.1 | 36.3 | 85.6 | 0.6 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 10.2 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
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#Austin #Reaves #Awakening