Lakers News: How Steve Kerr Felt About Austin Reaves On Team USA

Better to have him on his side this time.

Last playoffs, your Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors matched up in the second round, and Golden State got to see up close just got good LA guard Austin Reaves was. Reaves broke out during the playoff run, but he showed out against the Warriors.

His emergence allowed LA to take down Golden State in six games, and it gave LA another legitimate scoring option to use. He had started to take that next step all season, but in the playoffs, Reaves took that next leap.

When the lights were brightest, Reaves played his best. So, when Warriors coach Steve Kerr had Reaves on the roster for Team USA this summer, it was a relief to not have to coach against him this time around. Kerr opened up about having Reaves on his team.

“Way better to coach him than coach against him. I loved coaching him," Kerr said. "He’s really emerging as one of the better young guys in the league.”

Per Jovan Buha of The Athletic

Reaves earned a brand new contract from the Lakers this summer and now has vaulted himself into the third-best player on the Lakers. His work ethic to be great has been great to see, and it has translated into him getting more responsibility within the LA system.

The team plans to allow him to run more point guard sets this season, after they saw it see success during the playoffs. This newfound responsibility for Reaves also brings new pressure for him to produce, but he seems ready for the challenge ahead.

Steve Kerr on coaching Austin Reaves with Team USA: “Way better to coach him than coach against him. I loved coaching him. … He’s really emerging as one of the better young guys in the league.”

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) October 7, 2023

If Reaves can continue to take that next leap, LA will be a very tough team to beat this season. He is one of the biggest x-factors for this Lakers squad, and he wants nothing more than to lead LA to another championship this season.

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