:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72776770/usa_today_20479158.0.jpg "Austin Reeves says LeBron’s relationship changed after first game in Memphis")
Austin Reaves’ meteoric rise culminated in Game 1 of last season’s playoffs. Memphis, Rep. Reeves admitted to changing his relationship with LeBron James.
Austin Reeves has gone from an undrafted rookie to a legitimate role player for the Lakers over the past two seasons. But for most casual NBA fans, it wasn’t until he stepped onto the true, forefront national stage of the NBA playoffs that they saw him for what he is now.
Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies will be a memorable moment in Reeves’ career for many reasons. He introduced himself to a national audience that day and, in his words, his relationship with LeBron James got better.
A recent profile from The Ringer’s Mirin Fader talks about the Game 1 performance and how it all surprised Reeves.
Reeves thought about how far he could improve playing with James and Davis. He thought about how much head coach Davon Hamm believed in him and how much his teammates believed in him in the playoffs, giving him the ball in critical moments. In one game, Game 1 against Memphis, when James caught a pass, he ran to the corner. James told him to come back and get the ball. Reeves didn’t understand: Why should James give the ball to him when he can pass anyone at any time? “My brain was off the game for a while,” Reeves said. Then I thought: I can’t make him look stupid. I have to make something good happen. Muscle memory kicked in and he knocked down a string of baskets.
This is an abbreviated version of the longer answer he gave on the show. lowe post ESPN’s Zach Lowe was asked a similar question on his podcast. Lowe discussed his relationship with LeBron and whether the two had discussed giving Reeves more responsibility.
“There weren’t any real conversations or anything off the court. I always knew, from day one, we connected on an IQ level. Just a different perspective on the game than anyone else. What stood out to me was The thing is, it was in the playoffs, in the first game against Memphis, I had a really good performance in the fourth quarter. I struggled in the first half…and then started in Game 4 .
Reeves then reflected at considerable length on the series of plays in the fourth quarter that led to his “I am him” moment. Feder described the moment much more succinctly than Reeves, though he did note to Lowe that he “could tell the level of trust was even higher than I knew at the time” after that playoff performance.
He also shared a cool story from the day after the first game during the video conference.
“I just remember the next day… we shot film and Phil Handy congratulated me on my game. But then he looked around and was like, ‘I just want to say to LeBron and AD, I haven’t seen him in a while. To see you guys do that. I’ve never seen you trust another player so much. Especially in this big moment. I just wanted to tip my hat to you guys. That’s another one where I was like, “Oh.” At that moment, it all sunk in.”
LeBron is not a guy who gives up control of his team or even playoff games or moments easily. Maybe his own injuries made him more willing to do that last spring, but regardless of the situation, Reeves deserved to have the ball in his hands at the time.
That moment proved a lot to a lot of people, including LeBron and Reeves himself. This is a moment that has and will continue to pay huge dividends for the team moving forward.
In that moment, Reeves went from being the Lakers’ newest role player to a bonafide player, setting him up for an even more remarkable summer.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter: @Jacobrud.
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