Lakers News: New Austin Reaves Mural Unveiled in Neighboring LA City
"I'm him!"
This has been the battle cry for Austin Reaves ever since he picked up a basketball. Coming from a tiny town in Arkansas, nobody thought he'd ever become a professional hooper -- let alone a guy starring for both the Los Angeles Lakers and now Team USA during this summer's ongoing FIBA World Cup tournament.
The trajectory of Reaves -- going from small town player to global star -- is a process which has rapidly risen over the last few years. The city of Los Angeles is certainly 'all in' on Reaves potentially being the franchise's next big start. If you need any further proof, take a look at what's been spotted in the LA suburb of Hawthorne:
Famed street artist Gustavo Zermeno Jr. (known as gz. jr) has become quite known in LA for giving the city some truly beautiful murals. You can travel around Los Angeles -- and you'll see his work everywhere. This includes a plethora of murals centered around Kobe Bryant, but also featuring ones on LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard, Nipsey Hussle, Mac Miller, Vin Scully, Tommy Lasorda, and others.
In this case, the fact we're seeing an Austin Reaves mural in LA is truly incredible. He went from being an undrafted rookie to absolutely crushing it currently for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup.
Without a doubt, the Lakers are hoping Reaves' emergence on the international stage will translate to NBA play this upcoming fall. The Lakers retooled their roster a bit in the offseason to add more shooting and playmaking ability.
With that said, Reaves is still going to be put in position to be a primary playmaking threat for the Lakers -- especially with James continuing to age (gracefully). The confidence he's building from this FIBA tournament can only aid in Reaves becoming one of the better combo guards in the league.
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