Austin Reaves on Monday finished with only four points, but the undrafted rookie made a number of key plays down the stretch to help the Los Angeles Lakers defeat the Utah Jazz.
Reaves logged 21 minutes of action in the win, including nine minutes in the fourth quarter. Perhaps the biggest play by Reaves came when he tipped in his own miss to put the Lakers up by four points with just under four minutes left.
He recorded two points, five rebounds and one assist in the fourth quarter as the Lakers outscored the Jazz 29-17 in the period to pull out the win and snap a three-game losing streak. The performance by Reaves earned high praise from LeBron James.
Obviously, we got a gem in Austin. I watched a lot of film on him when we were able to acquire him. I know what type of players I like to play with and I knew right away that he would make an immediate impact on our ball club probably before himself and our coaches and a lot of other teammates.
On the season, Reaves is averaging 6.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and one assist in 25 appearances. He has had numerous strong performances throughout the season and recently put up career efforts in back-to-back games after scoring 16 points and 19 points, respectively.
The team has often commended Reaves for the energy and effort he brings off the court. He has also earned praise for stepping up in clutch moments, such as the night in which he hit the game-winning shot over the Dallas Mavericks.
Reaves has often been praised by the coaching staff and his teammates for his ability to stay ready and contribute when called upon. The Lakers needed to add a player like Reaves to fill out the roster, but it looks as though they hit a home run with the signing.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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