The reply was totally predictable: “Good.”
The query that elicited the response above from Austin Reaves: How was he feeling bodily?
Reaves doesn’t make excuses, and he wasn’t about to begin now, not within the wake of a 132-119 defeat by the San Antonio Spurs at Crypto.com Enviornment on Wednesday evening.
Besides Reaves didn’t look “good” within the loss.
He completed with a modest 15 factors, together with solely 4 within the first half.
The underwhelming efficiency adopted an 11-point sport towards the Philadelphia 76ers three days earlier.
“Just didn’t get the ball to go in the basket,” Reaves mentioned.
Or was it one thing extra?
Was the offensive burden he shouldered up thus far beginning to take a toll on him?
Had the previous undrafted free agent actually elevated his sport to a brand new stage or was he simply on a six-week heater?
The solutions might be revealed within the coming weeks.
The Lakers, nonetheless, already know they’ll’t win with Reaves taking part in the best way he did towards the Spurs, when he made solely two of six photographs within the opening half.
Reaves has to attain for this model of the Lakers to beat a workforce just like the Spurs. He has to attain as a result of they’ll’t cease anybody.
Their on-ball perimeter protection is atrocious.
Their three-point protection is dreadful.
Their transition protection is stunning.
“Very few teams don’t have something that you can expose and we consistently got exposed to the same things,” coach JJ Redick mentioned.
Invoice Parcells as soon as mentioned you’re what your file says you’re, however that may not be the case with the Lakers, who’re 17-7.
Of their final six video games, Lakers opponents have shot 49%, together with 45% on threes. Redick’s workforce has allowed a mean of 122 factors per sport.
“The things that help you win on the margins, we’re just not very good at right now,” Redick mentioned.
The protection towards the Spurs was significantly terrible, the guests making 50% of their threes within the first two intervals to take a 70-58 lead into halftime with their franchise participant Victor Wembanyama sidelined with a calf damage.
The Spurs’ athleticism clearly troubled the Lakers, who lack footspeed on the perimeter.
“They were just going downhill, driving and [kicking],” Lakers guard Luka Doncic mentioned. “They scored like 10 three-pointers in the first half. They got up real quickly.”
Spurs guard Stephon Fort completed the sport with 30 factors. He was one in all seven gamers to attain in double figures. The Lakers have been behind by as many as 24 factors.
“Obviously, it’s a unique team,” Lakers ahead LeBron James mentioned. “They got six or seven guys that can break you off the dribble. Super fast, super quick.”
Not like the Lakers, who’ve slow-moving guards in Doncic and Reaves, a 40-year-old participant in James and an inconsistent heart in Deandre Ayton.
The Lakers have been eradicated within the playoffs final season by a extra bodily gifted workforce within the Minnesota Timberwolves they usually as soon as once more look incapable of overcoming such a drawback this time round.
Requested what they may do to treatment their defensive shortcomings, James replied: “I mean, obviously, you can’t do it individually by yourself. It has to be five guys on a string, communication always at an all-time high, letting you know what’s going on behind you and things of that nature.”
Redick shared an analogous view, however made it sound as if the method may take time. Within the meantime, he mentioned he anticipated Reaves to get better from his two-game hunch.
Even after the Spurs sport, Reaves ranked ninth within the NBA in scoring at 27.8 factors per sport.
“Yeah, look, the reality is the guy carried us for six weeks and that takes a toll on you,” Redick mentioned. “He kept fighting and I appreciate that. But he’s gonna have a lot more great nights than frustrating nights.”
He higher. Extra irritating nights for Reaves determine to lead to extra irritating nights for the Lakers.
