JJ Redick Gives Austin Reaves New Nickname

Move over, "Hillbilly Kobe," because JJ Redick has a new nickname for Austin Reaves. After just three games into the season, the sixth-year guard has already provided significant positive contributions for the Los Angeles Lakers, especially following his recent four-year, $185 million contract extension.

Reaves has demonstrated remarkable consistency in the early games. In the Lakers' 132-123 victory over the Jazz on Sunday, he recorded 29 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the field and 11-for-13 from the free-throw line, adding four assists. This performance followed two other strong showings, marking his third consecutive game scoring at least 23 points.

"AR so far in these three games has just been Mr. Consistency," Redick stated. A notable aspect of Reaves' early season performance is his efficiency; he has shot at least 54% from the field in each of the first three games, without exceeding 13 field goal attempts per contest.

Redick highlighted Reaves' composed approach: "He hasn’t pressed at all. It’s something we’ve acknowledged with him. You got to play the game in front of you. He’s just played the game, and the results have spoken for themselves."

Despite his patient approach, Reaves has shown an ability to take over when necessary. He scored 15 points in the second quarter against the Jazz, a crucial contribution that helped the Lakers overcome an 18-point deficit and secure a three-point lead by halftime.

Jazz player Walker Kessler commented on Reaves' skill set, noting, "He’s extremely patient, an unreal player, really skilled. And the reality is, it’s not a one-man sport. But I mean, AR’s – he had 29 points on 12 shots. His ability to score too and play make for other guys is unreal as well."

Reaves attributes his playing style to lessons learned from his family. "It’s just make the right play, it’s simple," he said. "I talk about it all the time. It’s something that my parents and my brother taught me growing up was: Play the game the right way, the game’s gonna reward you."

He further emphasized the team's collective mindset: "We have a team that understands roles and what we ask them to do. And if they’re gonna do everything that we ask them to do, we gotta help them in these situations. The thing about our team is, there’s no ego, there’s no anything, just wanna win basketball games and however that happens is the main thing."

With the Lakers holding a 3-0 record to begin the season, and Reaves averaging 26.7 points and 6.3 assists with 63.9% shooting, his strategy has proven effective. Luka Dončić remarked on Reaves' impact, stating, "Obviously his efficiency, it’s off the roof. And just to have him next to me, leading this team, it’s awesome."