Lakers superstar LeBron James heaps some massive praise onto one of his few young teammates on the current roster.
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As he enters his 19th year in the NBA, perhaps it’s fair to say LeBron James has some experience when it comes to life in the league.
Throughout his time playing at the highest level, the King has come up against some of the toughest opponents and has also partnered up with some incredible allies. And when you’ve interacted with such legendary players, yes you get better, but you also have an idea of what a player needs to be great. And it seems that according to James, one of the youngest players on his roster has what it takes.
Who is this guy? Who is this player that has the Lakers superstar so impressed after just the preseason?
LeBron James has some high expectations for rookie Austin Reaves for the 2021-22 NBA season
For those who haven’t watched the Lakers’ preseason games this time around, Austin Reaves is probably a complete unknown. However, those who have watched him play know just how good he can be.
The rookie is a very impressive all-around player. At 6’5”, he is a very good shooter, with all the confidence in the world. To add to that, he is also a very smart passer, capable of making good reads and making plays. His defense is also above average from what was seen in the preseason.
The 23-year-old went undrafted in this year’s NBA Draft before he was signed to a two-way contract by the Lakers, which was later converted to a standard NBA contract.
It takes a lot for an undrafted rookie to make as much progress as Austin Reaves has with regard to his contract situation. But, it isn’t just the Lakers front office that the player has impressed. Here is what LeBron James had to say about the guy, according to Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet.
“He’s an NBA player. He can play at this level. I watched a lot of film on him when we (signed) him. His size … shot making ability …passing … High IQ kid, and he has a lot of dog in him.”
“I watched a lot of film on him when we drafted him, actually. I knew right away that he could be an NBA player and play at this level, His size, his shot-making ability, his P&R play, his passing, a high IQ kid. And he’s got a lot of dog in him, too.” – LeBron on Austin Reaves pic.twitter.com/kedfZGvvRV
— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) October 15, 2021
Coming from the King himself, that is extremely high praise. And frankly, after observing him throughout the preseason, we can’t wait to see how well he does during the regular season.
