Lakers News: Bill Simmons Wants Team USA To Close FIBA Games With Austin Reaves

And for good reason!

Another day, another superlative performance from Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Austin Reaves in a tune-up game for Team USA as it prepares for the FIBA World Cup.

On Sunday, Reaves chipped in 16 points off the bench to help Team USA secure a winning comeback rally against former LA comrade Dennis Schröder's Team Germany, 99-91.

Though the 6'5" swingman out of the University of Oklahoma only became the Lakers' starting two-guard for the final 10 games of their 2022-23 regular season run, he's already emerging as one of the strongest players on an American team loaded with young All-Stars (Anthony Edwards, Brandon Ingram, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Tyrese Haliburton).

Although Reaves and Haliburton are currently backups for the team, they were a big part of the closing lineup head coach Steve Kerr leaned on to help close on the only exhibition game where the Americans were actually threatened (they were trailing by 16 points late into the third period).

The Ringer's Bill Simmons believes that the Reaves-Haliburton tandem needs to be played more, even if they're not the starters.

Team USA’s biggest issue for the actual tournament — accepting that Haliburton and Reaves are 2 of the best guys on the team. They’re gonna have to be out there in any big situation even if feelings get hurt.

— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) August 20, 2023

It's been fascinating to see this rapid rise for Reaves in 2023. It seems like these FIBA World Cup games (set to start on August 25th) could be his global coming-out party, if this spring's playoff run didn't already serve to be that.

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