Lakers News: How Austin Reaves Felt About Defending Stephen Curry
One of the hardest things to do in the NBA is be a true scoring option for your team while also trying to defend the best player on the opposing side effectively. It’s what separates the greats in this league and is a skill that not a ton of players have.
The amount of energy exerted on the defensive end can take away from the offense so players that can overcome this are extremely valuable to their franchises. Even if a player doesn’t do the greatest job, the most a team can ask for is for effort.
During this past postseason, Lakers sophomore guard Austin Reaves was tasked with being one of the primary scorers for LA while also taking on some tough assignments on the defensive end. His toughest matchup came in the second round of the playoffs when the team was matched up with the high-flying Golden State Warriors.
This meant that Reaves would be taking the challenge of trying to guard two-time MVP Steph Curry. Curry is one of the best players in the NBA and makes life tough for even the best defenders in the league, so Reaves had a tough task ahead of him. Naturally, Curry got his numbers, but Reaves did his best and recently he opened up about the matchup.
“It was honestly hell…he never stops moving”
Reaves didn’t mince words when discussing himself trying to guard Curry. Curry has made life tough for so many in the league due to his ultimate shooting skillset and the Warriors have found ways to maximize him. They use a ton of screens in their sets, allowing Curry to get off high efficiency shot attempts and he hits them at an alarming rate.
The Warriors as a whole don’t stop moving on offense and it has been a problem around the league for years. Curry himself is tough because he is such a craft player with the ball in his hands. He can take his defenders off the dribble or step back to hit a three in his defenders face. One half-inch of space and Curry will make you pay.
Reaves did his best and the Lakers won the series but it wasn't east. Curry and the Warriors will be out for revenge this year and if the two teams meet again, it should be another fun matchup between the sides.
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