Lakers News: Experts Rank Austin Reaves As Best Overall Team USA Player
Team USA simply did not live up to expectations this summer and just like every other country that participated in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, NBA talent did not make them invincible. A number of bigger names on the US did not find their expected roles such as Brandon Ingram and Jaren Jackson Jr.
When you really look into everything, Team USA was fighting an upwards battle at times. This roster was compiled with guys that play on different squads all throughout the year and were asked to build top chemistry in just a few weeks to face off against other squads that have had years of experience together.
But let's not only focus on the negative here... a number of players that opted to represent America in the tournament got to showcase their talents at the individual level. Anthony Edwards became the go-to scorer and facilitator in most games and the NBA community has virtually accepted that he is indeed next up in terms of young stars.
Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Brunson are both Eastern Conference guards that were able to take the floor as well and show that they can run an offense with different types of teammates.
But it truly felt like Austin Reaves was the consistent name that kept getting highlighted all throughout this summer. He was rocking his new signature shoes, throwing down putback jams and just looking incredibly comfortable alongside some of the NBA's brightest talent.
Therefore, experts from HoopsHype ranked Reaves as the best overall player on this year's Team USA squad.
Reaves will be the starting shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers this season and he is locked in under contract for the next four years.
LA made a number of huge offseason moves, including the recent addition of Christian Wood, so let's see how the 25-year-old guard uses his lessons learned from FIBA this coming season!
