Who would have thought that in a team with LeBron James and Luka Doncic, an undrafted player would end up carrying the Lakers? But that’s exactly what Austin Reaves did last night against the Bulls. Not only did AR drop a game-high 30 points, he also showed immense heart by playing through a gruesome ankle injury. Although the Lakers ended up losing anyway, courtesy of Josh Giddey’s insane game-winning buzzer beater from half court, Reaves’ effort won him the respect of King James.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Reaves tweaked his right ankle after stepping on Dalen Terry’s foot during a drive to the basket. It was clear the point guard was hurt as he immediately fell to the floor and began favoring his ankle in immense agony. But instead of heading to the locker room, AR stayed in the game, understanding that the Lakers needed him. After the tough loss, LeBron praised his mentality for playing through the pain, “Yeah AR, he’s tough as nails. His game is, he’s great.”

Despite the hurt ankle, Reaves dominated all night and even hit the go-ahead layup in the final seconds. Had it not been for Giddey’s miraculous three, he would have been the star of the show once again. LeBron also acknowledged Reaves’ impressive growth in the NBA, “Happy that he continues to make strides in his career and you know I’ve been seeing it the whole time. The whole way I’ve been along with him the whole ride, so it’s been awesome.”

Well, AR began his career as a mere role player for the Lakers, averaging only 7.3 points in his rookie season. While he showed constant year-on-year improvement, Reaves took a massive leap after the LA team parted ways with Russell Westbrook. This year, he is turning into a star right before our eyes, averaging 19.7 points and nearly six assists. So, the future is bright for the young stud. And his mentality is a major reason behind his exponential growth.

Moreover, LeBron’s praise brings major relief for Laker Nation as it helps calm down the rising speculations of tensions in the locker room. Of course, budding from chemistry concerns between the LeBron-Reaves-Doncic trio. In their 12 appearances together before last night, they had a net rating of -6.3. Amid the buzz, AR gave further update on his injury.

Austin Reaves reveals reason behind playing through ankle injury vs Bulls

While LeBron showered his teammate with high praise, Reaves revealed why he chose to stay in the game despite the injury, “Just want to be there for my teammates. It’s not the first time I’ve rolled my ankle, probably won’t be the last.” Earlier this month, Reaves missed some games due to a similar issue. However, he is not going to let those concerns affect his contribution in the team.

He continued, “I just, I like playing. I like being in the game to be able to kind of control the game and if I sit out with it, I can’t play then I’m not able to control what I want to. So, just try to forget about it, focus on trying to win.” With only nine regular season games remaining, it looks like Reaves is not going to take any time off as the Lakers’ playoff seeding remains uncertain after last night’s loss.

His next chance to suit up will be on Saturday as the Lakers head to Memphis to face the Grizzlies.