Lakers News: Get 1st Look of Austin Reaves in New Team USA Threads
After an impressive postseason run with the Los Angeles Lakers, guard Austin Reaves was selected to represent the USA in the upcoming FIBA World Cup set to take place later this month.
Off a new contract to return to the Lakers long-term, Reaves proved he can pull of the red, white and blue as well as the purple and gold.
After taking hold of the starting job late in the regular season, Reaves was among the hottest players to close the 2023 campaign ahead of the postseason.
Some of the key skills that Reaves consistently put on display were a penchant to get to the free throw line and a surprising amount of comfort in running the pick and roll as the ball handler with both LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
In the playoffs, Reaves would be a key piece to the Lakers' run to the Western Conference Finals, providing multiple 20 point games throughout the postseason, tough rebounding and defensive effort throughout each series.
Perhaps his best moment of the entire postseason came in the eventual clinching game against the Golden State Warriors in the West Semifinals.
With the clock winding down in the first half of Game 6, Reaves took the ball from a teammate and launched a last ditch effort from beyond halfcourt that swished home to send Crypto.com Arena into a frenzy.
Some fans might point to his self declaration in the first round against the Memphis Grizzlies as his best playoff moment.
Time was running out against the higher seeded team from Tennessee when Reaves rose up to bury a triple with under two minutes to play. After sinking the shot, Reaves emphatically exclaimed, "I'M HIM" down the floor in what would be another iconic moment for the former undrafted product from Arkansas.
New contract in tow and status as a fan favorite secured, Reaves will take the court with the rest of the American team for one of the most important international tournaments in basketball later this summer.
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