Austin Reaves’ offense has been abysmal in this series against Denver and he aims to fix it as the Lakers head home.
While the Lakers’ loss to the Nuggets in Game 2 was a brutal ending, there were some positives. Anthony Davis was sensational, LeBron James dominated in certain stretches and D’Angelo Russell had a resurgence with seven 3-pointers.
Still, the team fell short and while they can’t dwell on the defeat, some players can improve their performances to help end this ten-game losing streak against Denver.
Austin Reaves discussed how he could be better after scoring just nine points in his 33 minutes of play.
“Obviously, I got to be better scoring the ball,” Reaves said postgame. “Be more aggressive. I got a couple good looks in the first quarter that didn’t fall. That’s on me and I have to be better. It’s a team effort and, like I said, we’ll watch the film and get better from it.”
So far in this series, Reaves is averaging 11 points per game on 38% shooting. That’s a significant dip from his 15.9 points per game on 48% shooting he did during the regular season.
To beat a juggernaut like Denver, everyone has to be on top of their game. Reaves is the kind of player who should be ascending, not looking like a shell of himself during these moments.
Russell took a lot of flack after a subpar Game 1 performance but responded with a stellar Game 2. In contrast, Reaves played poorly in both games, especially on the offensive side of the ball. I’m not advocating for more fan frustration or attacks on players, but criticism of Reaves’ game in this series seems justified.
This team has struggled offensively during the second half of games versus Denver and instead of being an ex-factor, he’s been one of the main contributors to this weakness.
Recognizing a problem is the first step to resolving it and the good news is that Reaves is self-aware of these shortcomings. He’s always responded to adversity with performance, whether going from being an undrafted player to earning a starting spot on the Lakers or getting benched earlier this season and re-gaining his spot.
I expect Reaves to bounce back, but he better do it quickly. The Lakers are halfway towards elimination, so the time is now to respond and return to playing ‘I’m Him’ basketball.
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