The first five players to achieve at least 45 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists in a single game for the Los Angeles Lakers were Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James.
Austin Reaves became the sixth player to do so, recording those exact numbers while leading the Lakers to a 124-117 win over Indiana on Saturday.
Reaves understands the surprise of seeing his name on the list. He feels the same way.
“It looks weird when you see my name up there,” Reaves said, smiling.
But it’s becoming less unusual with each accomplishment by Reaves, who joined the Lakers as an undrafted player from Oklahoma three and a half years ago. He has grown into a starting player and key contributor for his favorite team, having come from a small town in Arkansas where he looked up to Kobe Bryant and didn’t let anyone stop him from pursuing his NBA dream.
With LeBron James and Luka Doncic both out due to injuries, Reaves had the most impressive game of his career so far. He made 14 of 26 shots, hit four 3-pointers, and went 13 of 13 from the free-throw line while running the offense in the final moments.
He also grabbed seven rebounds, handed out seven assists, and had three steals, helping the Lakers win despite being short-handed. Lakers fans, grateful for such a great performance, cheered “M-V-P!” as a thank-you to Reaves for leading the team.
James was sidelined due to a sore left ankle, and Doncic was not quite ready for his debut. The Lakers were still adjusting after trading away players like Anthony Davis, Max Christie, Dalton Knecht, and Cam Reddish in two moves before the deadline, and things were even more unsettled after they canceled the trade for Reddish and Knecht later that Saturday.
Reaves was also playing through a sore left elbow, which almost kept him out of the game. He decided to play through the pain just before the pregame deadline, and the Lakers were glad he did.
Austin Reaves dunks in the 2nd half“I think he’s been as important as any player on our team,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “I felt like he was the best player on the floor tonight, and that says a lot. He showed up in a big-time way.”
Reaves started off strong against Indiana, scoring 11 points in under six minutes. He had 20 points by halftime and took charge again in the fourth quarter, starting it with back-to-back 3-pointers and finishing with 14 points in the final period.
It was an impressive performance for a player who set his previous career high of 38 points just last month against Brooklyn. But Reaves knows that his whole NBA career has been filled with surprises. Since earning a spot on the Lakers roster out of training camp in 2021, he has played many different roles.
“The path that I took is not conventional,” Reaves said. “There’s probably only a handful of people that thought I would be in this position, if any. It wasn’t really the popular thing to do to continue to chase my dream. … If I can inspire kids that’s in my situation to continue to chase their dreams, whatever it is, just do it.”
He’s now more than just a surprise. Reaves has averaged at least 28 minutes per game in each of the last three seasons as a regular starter — including all 44 games this season.
Reaves is also part of one of the most interesting Lakers teams ever after the big trade to bring in Doncic, who could be Reaves’ future teammate in the backcourt for many years.
Though Doncic is expected to be the next leader of the Lakers, Reaves has become incredibly important too, and he’s even making history.
“It’s surreal, because I grew up a huge Kobe fan, so I was automatically a Laker fan,” Reaves said. “Just to be able to go out there and put the uniform on and compete, and then to have a couple of those games where my name is in with those guys, is special. It’s something that I won’t take for granted.”
