The Los Angeles Lakers spent this summer dreaming big. After all, they signed Luka Doncic to an extension and watched him get in the best shape of his life; they brought in Deandre Ayton to fill the hole at center ever since they traded Anthony Davis away. However, neither of them nor LeBron James is the reason they are 3-2 in the league right now.
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Doncic did score a combined 92 points in the first two games, but he’s been out the last three with a sprained finger and leg contusion. Ayton has been serviceable. And LeBron hasn’t even made his season debut as he deals with sciatica. The reason they have been good this season is Austin Reaves.
Normally the third option, Reaves has flourished in a starring role. He was great as Luka’s wingman in the first two games, but has completely taken over since, pouring in 40 points and 10 assists per game in the last three. That includes a buzzer-beating winner against the Timberwolves in Minnesota on Wednesday night.
Kenny Smith had some fun breaking down Reaves’ game-winner on Inside the NBA last night. He went over the tape of Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert trying to contain Reaves on the final possession. “I think if you slow it down, once the pick happens, this is what a ball-handler is gonna look for if he’s gonna try to split it,” said Smith.
“Once he jumps out, if I see Rudy Gobert’s numbers, that means you can split. But here, McDaniels has to do a better job of getting over the top as he is coming off, because now the split happens, and now you’re in the teeth of the defense, you can have a pass and/or shot, and he had both and he said, ‘No, I am the new Jeremy Lin, I am AK Bang Baby Luka, and I am shooting this shot to win,'” he added.
Ernie Johnson was the first one to push back on Smith comparing Reaves to Jeremy Lin, calling it “a bit of a stretch”. Reaves has been a quality player in the league for a few years now, whereas Linsanity happened when Lin was still a complete unknown.
The argument ended up being 2-on-2, with Charles Barkley siding with Ernie and Shaquille O’Neal aligning with Kenny. Barkley cut Shaq off and said, “Stop it, Shaq. Stop being a hater,” after the big man tried to downplay Reaves‘ past accomplishments.
Kenny wondered why Chuck and Ernie were being so sensitive when he was just having a bit of fun with the comparison.
However, both sides have a point here. It’s impossible not to think of Lin’s epic run when he put the Knicks on his back amid a series of injuries in 2012, because that’s exactly what Reaves did. He is carrying the Lakers while two of the best players in the world watch from the bench.
At the same time, Reaves scored over 20 points per game last year. So he didn’t come out of nowhere the way Lin did.
Most arguments on Inside the NBA are quickly resolved with a meme and a laugh. But this lasted longer. Even though Ernie tried when he segued to highlights of the Pelicans-Nuggets game with a comparison of Rudy Gobert to one of those arms flailing blow-up things outside a car dealership, Chuck and Kenny weren’t done going after each other.
Barkley told his good buddy, “I’m gonna beat the hell out of you. This is exactly what will happen if you p*** me off in here one night, Kenny. I’m just gonna go around New York beating up people, gonna start with you.”
You have to give ESPN credit for keeping Inside the NBA fully intact. Fans around the world were worried that the ‘Worldwide Leader’ would mess with the beloved show when it moved from TNT. But nothing has changed.
As for Reavesanity… The guard has to keep the cape on for a bit longer. Luka is expected to be back within the next couple of games, but LeBron is still a few weeks away. A Halloween night date at the Grizzlies looms, followed by three games in four days against the Heat, Blazers, and the Spurs.
