It’s hard to believe now considering how far he’s come, but Austin Reaves used to be a benchwarmer who got little-to-no minutes for the Los Angeles Lakers. Moreover, Reaves even started the 2024-25 season on the bench, with head coach JJ Redick inexplicably using him as the team’s sixth man behind D’Angelo Russell.
But those days are long gone. Reaves has now established himself as a legitimate star, carrying the Luka Doncic and LeBron James-less Lakers to a 127-120 win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night with a 51-point masterpiece.
Reaves was in control of the Lakers’ offense all night long. In addition to dropping a career-high in points during a single game, he also shot the ball exceptionally well, going 12-22 from the field and 6-10 from deep despite drawing all of the Kings’ defensive attention. He even added 11 rebounds and nine assists, making sure the Purple and Gold are in good hands, even though their main stars are not healthy quite yet.
After this thorough demolition of the Kings, Reaves put himself in exclusive company and earned a major seal of approval from Lakers legend and Hall of Famer James Worthy. “#WorthyClap 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾,” Worthy wrote on his official account on X (formerly Twitter) in reaction to Reaves’ 51-point night.
To put this performance into greater perspective, Reaves became just the fifth player since the turn of the century to score at least 50 points in a single game for the Lakers. All four of the other players who accomplished this feat are either in the Hall of Fame or will surely be once they retire: Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis.
Considering how reliant the Lakers are on their stars, the absence of both Doncic and James would have been catastrophic if it weren’t for Reaves stepping up in such a monumental way.
### Austin Reaves, Lakers Look to Keep It Going Tomorrow Night
There will be no rest for these weary (and shorthanded) Lakers, as they will be facing the Portland Trail Blazers tomorrow night in the second game of a back-to-back set.
The good news is that the Blazers also played on Sunday, suffering a 114-107 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, so there won’t be much of a rest advantage for either team.
That said, the Blazers squad will be a tough matchup, especially on the second night of a back-to-back. Reaves, in particular, will have to go up against elite defenders such as Jrue Holiday and Toumani Camara. Can he keep this hot streak going? For the Lakers’ sake, he’ll have to.
https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-even-james-worthy-is-in-awe-of-austin-reaves-51-point-night