Lakers News: Austin Reaves Has Bulked Up in a Big Way This Offseason

Lakers rookie Austin Reaves is preparing for his 2nd year with LA.

When Austin Reaves was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers, he knew that he had people out there who would doubt him no matter what. However, that never stopped him from pursuing his dreams of making it to the NBA. Eventually, once Reaves got the chance to be out on the court representing LA, he made sure to prove himself to not only the fans but his teammates. 

The rookie made a significant impact during the 2021-22 season and has continued to put in hours of hard work to bulk up in preparation for his second year with the Lakers.

According to Jovan Buha from The Athletic, Reaves has started to gain muscle since the start of last season. 

"Reaves doesn’t have a specific weight goal to hit, but he’s bulked up from his preseason listed weight of 197 lbs. to 209 lbs. now."

In an interview with The Athletic, Reaves also talked about how he is trying to keep a positive mindset to help him. 

“It’s my big focus. I go in there with a good attitude every day, and whatever they tell me to do, I do. Just putting my body in the best position so the rookie wall or whatever, it doesn’t hit you like that. And you can more push through it because you’re in better shape and better conditioning.”

Last season, it took some time, but Reaves gained everyone's respect after he scored the game-winning three-pointer against the Dallas Mavericks, who made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals in the playoffs this year. 

From that day on, Reaves was viewed as a valuable rotation piece, and although he did not produce insane stats, he was a solid asset coming off the bench for LA. 

Now the rookie will be starting his second year in the league soon enough, and hopefully, for him, his hard work pays off.