Lakers News: All-Star Inspired Highlight From Austin Reaves In Tuesday Win

The LA swingman stepped up once again.

Team USA, featuring third-year Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Austin Reaves, is headed to the semifinal round of the ongoing 2023 FIBA World Cup competition. The Americans are still favored to win it all, despite having dropped a game to Lithuania over the weekend.

The program's 100-63 demolition of Team Italy during Tuesday's quarterfinal matchup showed exactly why Team USA remains so dangerous. When it comes to Reaves, one special moment in particular revealed why the 25-year-old swingman out of the University of Oklahoma so clearly is worth his new four-year, $53.8 million contract with Los Angeles. 

In a new piece, Joe Vardon of The Athletic unpacks how a signature second quarter explosion from Reaves helped galvanize Team USA.

With a hair under a minute remaining in the contest's opening half, Indiana Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton dribbled out of a midrange no-man's-land to launch a hopeful soul-crushing trey. It clanked off the rim, but Reaves cut inside to flush a two-handed put back dunk and elevate the Americans to a 46-22 advantage. 

AUSTIN REAVES PUT-BACK JAM 😨 pic.twitter.com/MdxQNsJ124

— ESPN (@espn) September 5, 2023

Reaves revealed that another All-Star guard teammate, Minnesota Timberwolves swingman Anthony Edwards, inspired him to explore his verticality in full for his country.

“Ant told me I jump high, so I’m gonna take that and run with it because he is one of the most athletic guys that’s ever played the game, honestly,” Reaves noted. “I told him I was trying to be like him and I don’t know, I’ll have to go look at it. If I can get to my left leg. I got a little bit of bounce, but anything else I struggle.”

He certainly did not disappoint on Tuesday. That dunk counted for two of his 12 points on the night. 

Let's see what he's got in store for us on Friday.

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