Lakers News: Austin Reaves, Lonnie Walker IV Are L.A.'s Diamonds In The Rough
Yesterday marked a celebratory moment for your Los Angeles Lakers. L.A. defeated the San Antonio Spurs in a brutal 123-92 blowout.
Young Lakers wings Lonnie Walker IV and Austin Reaves thrived in supplemental scoring roles behind standout stat-stuffer Anthony Davis, who finished with 30 points (on 12-of-19 shooting from the floor and 6-of-6 shooting from the free-throw line), 18 rebounds, and three steals. No big deal.
Walker had an efficient 14 points of his own on 6-of-12 shooting, plus two dimes and one rebound. Reaves scored a season-high 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor and 4-of-4 shooting from the charity stripe.
Los Angeles head coach Darvin Ham raved about Walker and Reaves in particular among L.A.'s young guns.
Here's the relevant quote, where he addressed Walker's ability to score expediently and Reaves's recent consistency:
"I think his confidence is through the roof. The kid is phenomenal. I believe in him, and I tell him all the time, 'Just go out there and have fun and play as hard as you can play, compete as hard as you can compete, and the rest'll take care of itself.' He tries to play the right way. And I think most of the time he does do that. I just have a huge amount of trust and belief in him, as well as Austin. All of our guys, I just want all of our guys to play... really, really confident basketball and then lean on each other."
Walker and Reaves have been, far by, the best Lakers not named Anthony Davis, LeBron James, or Russell Westbrook this season. Walker and Reaves are considerably more reliable shooters than Brodie of course, but Westbrook's masterful passing and his new role as a change-of-pace playmaker and scorer off the bench now have him safely ahead of them in the team's talent pecking order.
Walker is the Lakers' third-leading scorer behind James and Davis, averaging a career-best 16.4 points a night on .473/.348/.833 shooting splits. He's also averaging 2.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 0.9 steals a night.
Reaves is averaging 9.8 points on a .511/.409/.902 slash line -- shooting numbers so good that, if they hold, would put him in some insanely heady company as a member of the vaunted "50/40/90 Club." Only nine players in league history have ever made the cut on volume (to qualify, players must nail at least 300 field goals, 82 three-pointers, and 125 free throws).
