Brooklyn Nets small forward Mikal Bridges is a big fan of Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves. Bridges told Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times that Reaves has arrived in the NBA.
“This ain’t no underdog s*** no more,” Bridges said of Reaves after a Team USA practice. “He’s here. … I’ve been a fan. … I think the biggest thing about him I like is that he knows how to draw a foul. He knows how to create fouls and get to the free-throw line and that’s like a skill. He’s not just getting there. There’s a skill to that and it’s very underrated. People don’t really understand it but the ones that do, they know how tough it is to guard. That s***‘s an art.”
Bridges and Reaves are first-time teammates on Team USA for this summer’s FIBA World Cup team. Both youngsters are playing for Team USA for the first time. Team USA didn’t win gold in the last FIBA World Cup, so it will be interesting to see how the club does this year.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Austin Reaves, Mikal Bridges, Brooklyn Nets & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
Reaves, who is an undrafted player, averaged 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists last season for the Lakers while shooting 52.9% from the field, 39.8% from beyond the arc and 86.4% from the free-throw line. The 25-year-old took his game to another level in the 2023 postseason, averaging 16.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 16 games versus the Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets.
The Lakers got swept by the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, but Los Angeles is expected to compete for the title again next season.
Reaves signed a four-year, $53 million contract with the Lakers in restricted free agency. He has career averages of 10.2 points and 2.6 assists with the Lakers. Reaves developed a good rapport with LeBron James and Anthony Davis last season and it sounds like the Lakers are going to put the ball in his hands more often next season, as according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, Los Angeles plans on running more of its offense through Reaves moving forward.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Austin Reaves, Mikal Bridges, Brooklyn Nets & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
“The Lakers plan on running more of their offense through Reaves next season, unlocking the point guard skills he’s flashed through his first two years in the league, according to team sources not authorized to speak publicly,” Buha wrote.
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