The countdown is on for the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2023-24 regular season opener. They will begin their schedule on Tuesday at the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets, which will give them an opportunity to gain a measure of revenge on the team that swept them in last season’s Western Conference Finals.
Austin Reaves played very well in that series to cap a revelatory campaign for him. He averaged 13.0 points a game while shooting a high percentage during the regular season, and in the playoffs, he put up 16.9 points a contest while hitting 44.3% from 3-point range.
The undrafted guard also played well this summer for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup. It led to Lakers head coach Darvin Ham managing his workload during the preseason and even holding him out of three games. But Reaves says he got enough playing time during the exhibition season to be ready for the regular season.
Austin Reaves on how he feels following tonight's preseason finale: "I feel great. We had a plan and stuck to it… I feel like I got enough reps to feel comfortable going into the season." pic.twitter.com/lS4sgR9e6E
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) October 20, 2023
When Reaves did play in the preseason, he looked very sharp and efficient. On Thursday against the Phoenix Suns, he scored 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 from downtown to go along with three assists, two steals and two blocked shots in 24 minutes.
