Lakers News: D'Angelo Russell Singles Out Upstart Teammate As A "Killer" On The Floor
Going into this offseason, it was an open question whether Los Angeles Lakers point guard D'Angelo Russell would return to LA, as the free agent was reportedly asking for a contract worth $25 million per year.
Russell did come back to Los Angeles -- at a lower value than that $25 million -- and seems excited to run it back with one of his teammates from last year.
The point guard praised fellow Lakers guard Austin Reaves during an appearance on Patrick Beverley's The Pat Bev Podcast.
"'He got game,' Russell said about Reaves, calling his teammate a "killer."
Even when LeBron James was injured this past season, Reaves was able to help keep the Lakers afloat, Russell said.
'I was seeing his demeanor, and he was just like, he was never excited about it. He just kind of always felt like, 'Yeah, I can do that. I'm built like that,' Russell said." (via
Julia Stumbaugh of Bleacher Report
)
Reaves had a standout season for the Lakers last year, including coming up big down the stretch when he put up 17.4 points, 5.7 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game in March, right when the team went on a furious run to secure a spot in the Play-In Tournament.
Los Angeles parlayed that into a trip to the Western Conference Finals, and Reaves played a big role in LA's surprise playoff run.
That production led to Reaves inking a four-year, $56 million contract with the Lakers this summer, so both Russell and Reaves will be around for a while.
And as for Reaves' teammate? He's just fine with that.
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