
USA Today via Reuters
May 18, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) passes the ball as Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) and guard Austin Reaves (15) defends in the third quarter during game two of the Western Conference Finals for the 2023 NBA playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

USA Today via Reuters
May 18, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) passes the ball as Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) and guard Austin Reaves (15) defends in the third quarter during game two of the Western Conference Finals for the 2023 NBA playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Lakers previous season was quite turbulent right from the start. The team had one of the worst starts in the league and yet managed to go to the Western Finals, taking down big names on the way. But at the end, the Lakers faced a strong Denver Nuggets team that ended their championship aspirations.
Austin Reaves went on to talk about what went wrong with the team despite having so much talent on the roster. From calling the team?s postseason run ?flukey? to explaining how Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets got the best of them.
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Austin Reaves gives props to Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets
Austin Reaves seemingly became an overnight star with the Los Angeles Lakers. He played well and solidified his position as a starter for the team. Not only that but Reaves even went on to represent Team USA in the FIBA World Cup.

USA Today via Reuters
Mar 17, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) reacts after scoring the basket and drawing he foul against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Recently, Reaves made an appearance on The Lowe Post with Zach Lowe. That is where he addressed the Lakers? postseason run. Zach Lowe asked Reaves if he felt like they could play anybody.
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That is when he said, ?Yeah I do. We brought back basically a core that went to the Western conference Finals. I think you could call it flukey, whatever you want.? Reaves went on to add, ?After the trade deadline, things were kind of just thrown out there.??
?We had so much talent and we relied on our talent so much that it took us that far. But then we ran into a Denver team like you said. We got swept because they were so structured and so systemed.?
?And I felt like it was hard for us to get to that level of even just a system because we didn?t have the time.?
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Will the Lakers win it all this season?
During the interview, Austin Reaves made sure not to bad mouth his opponents and obviously his own team. Reasons given by Reaves did make a lot of sense given how many changes the Lakers roster went through.
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But now, with the Lakers bringing back the core that went to the Western Conference Finals, Reaves is confident that the team will be able to take down anyone that comes in their way. Moreover, they finally had the time to get familiar with each other?s game.
So, let?s see if the Lakers have a better start than they did last season.
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