The Los Angeles Lakers pre-season received a sudden twist after public comments from their head coach. His statement surrounding Austin Reaves fueled an ongoing drama related to the latter’s personal life. The 25-year-old star’s dating rumors with Taylor Swift got rekindled following the comments.

Despite reaching a conclusion, the saga seemed to have no end even at this point. Now, with the head coach involved, the buzz was bound to reach its peak ahead of a new season.

What did the Lakers head coach say about Austin Reaves?

The LA side hosted the Milwaukee Bucks in their fifth preseason game of the campaign. After the match, Darvin Ham faced a question related to Reaves after he rested the shooting guard for the clash. The 50-year-old was asked toward the end of the press conference why he loved Austin and his answer made the headlines.

In the post-match interview, Ham brought up the music artist’s name while answering the question. Using the ongoing dating rumors as a reference, he stated, “He?s not afraid to tell Taylor Swift, ?No'”.?So, Darvin wanted to put the limelight on the courage and the confidence of his player to answer the question.

The head coach wished to highlight the toughness of Hillbilly?Kobe mockingly as a response after the match. But his phrasing might rekindle a couple of months-long saga surrounding the 6’5″ star of the Lakers.

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With a new season quickly approaching, this might stir the old drama, possibly affection like it did previously.

Could this become the turning point of the season?

After showcasing his abilities in the last playoffs and the FIBA World Cup 2023, the expectations from Austin are massive. The Lakers nation expects him to step up and be the face of the franchise soon. Amidst that, the coaching unit has given extra attention to him in the preseason in terms of load management.

Reaves is currently revered in the organization following his rapid rise in the past two seasons. Thus, the jokingly made comments from Ham could alter the entire buildup, as Reaves previously made headlines because of this. Till now, the basketball star has done well to keep himself apart from the controversies. But this all may change at any point.

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The challenge is bigger for Austin Reaves, but so are his demands from himself. Can he meet the expectations by keeping himself isolated from this saga? Let us know in the comments below.