(Image Source: Getty)
[Saba Sports News] Austin Reaves, despite scoring 20 points for the third game in a row, expressed indifference to personal accolades following the Lakers’ 118-111 defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves. This loss marked the team’s fourth consecutive defeat, contributing to a disappointing 1-5 record since their In-Season Tournament victory. Reaves, prioritizing team success over individual stats, stated in a post-game interview, “I don’t care about stats. I don’t care about all the notoriety and all that stuff. I just wanna win games.”
Reaves, who had a slow start to the season, has seen a surge in his performance since being assigned to the bench, averaging 20.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.8 assists over the last six games. However, the Lakers have lost five of these matches, dampening Reaves’ ability to enjoy his personal success. The team’s struggles have seen them fall to the 10th seed with a 15-14 record.
Coach Darvin Ham drew comparisons between Reaves’ role and that of Manu Ginobili’s with the Spurs, emphasizing that Reaves is a starter-quality player whose bench role is about balancing the team. Ham had said in November, “Everyone knew Manu [Ginobili] was a starter – it was more about balancing the units. [Austin] still played 35 minutes. His minutes weren’t going to go down; he’s gonna finish the game. He was huge down the stretch.” Reaves has lived up to Ham’s expectations, providing consistent offensive output for a Lakers team in dire need of stability.