Austin Reaves hit a game clinching 3 late in the game vs the Suns to win the in season tournament game for the Lakers. 20 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists. Lakers beat the Suns 106-103
will be fun to watch the Lakers in the in season tourney semi finals in Vegas
BH had 8 points and 11 boards in the pacers win over the Bucks
2 Sooners tomorrow for the first ever NBA CUP >.....
also buddy is following the squad ..
[TWEET]https://twitter.com/BasketballGuruD/status/1733227189691462004?s=20[/TWEET]
https://youtu.be/0akm8pkNNfU?si=VB97eDVf-8vu99SR
tyrese on buddy and austin. just the first few minutes.
[TWEET]https://twitter.com/OU_MBBall/status/1733684179815034957?s=20[/TWEET]
pretty nice first half by AR
Feels like the lakers got a steal with AR’s new contract.
I'm not convinced he can't be effective as a starter. I tend to think his early struggles this season had more to do with the self-imposed pressure created by his big new contract.
He was getting lots of props last night by the announcers. Basically, they were pointing out that he has emerged as the Lakers third best player in spite of coming off the bench. This will make him a very strong candidate to win the NBA's "6th Man" award this season. I just wish I understood the psychology of being better coming off the bench as opposed to starting (while receiving starter's minutes).
I watch every Lakers game, and in my opinion, when he is starting with this current roster, he has to defer playmaking and ball-handling duties to LBJ & Russell. Of course, you also have AD getting his touches, so sometimes AR fades back, trying to follow the game plan. When he comes off the bench, that usually means two of the mentioned guys are off the floor. AR becomes the primary or secondary scorer and facilitator. He gets into his rhythm, early in the game, and he knows he is expected to be aggressive.
If he is on, which he usually is, it means Russell loses 2nd half and 4th quarter minutes, because LBJ and AD trust him more anyway, and he's in rhythm. He's usually fresh late in the game, and he becomes the primary playmaker, even with the other big two on the floor. I think he will play well if he is thrown back into the starting 5, but coming off the bench seems to be a better fit right now.
You can't have him & Russell as your starting guards from a defensive standpoint. With Reddish and Prince on the court, AR and Russell don't have to guard the other team's primary scoring guard, and that means a lot because both are challenged trying to guard elite scoring guards and super quick point guards. Prince and Reddish did a great job on the Pelicans and Pacers guards.....
well said i 100% agree and I also watch every lakers game ..