Austin Reaves Shares What Excites Him About Lakers’ New Teammates

Austin Reaves came away from his preseason debut encouraged by the players around him.

After playing alongside the Los Angeles Lakers’ reworked roster against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday, Reaves praised several teammates who have helped establish the group’s approach during camp and the preseason.

“I thought they were awesome. Matisse has been great. [Kevon] Looney was great tonight. Jake has been really good. [I] could go down the list. Very excited with what we have.”

His assessment gives the Lakers another encouraging response from a player expected to carry a significant offensive workload alongside Luka Dončić. Reaves needs teammates who can finish possessions, handle defensive assignments and make decisions that help the offense continue moving.

The preseason provides an opportunity to develop those connections before the results start counting. For Reaves, the next step involves learning how to make the pieces work together consistently.

Reaves identified chemistry as the Lakers’ primary area of focus entering the regular season. His explanation centered on how their aggressive perimeter defense needs to connect with the players behind it.

He singled out Matisse Thybulle and Jake LaRavia for their work pressuring opposing teams’ best players. But applying pressure is only part of the assignment. The Lakers also need to contain drives and provide timely help when a defender gets beaten.

“We want pressure but be smart about doing it,” Reaves said.

That balance will matter as Los Angeles tries to turn its defensive activity into dependable stops. Crowding a ballhandler can disrupt an offense, but losing containment can give an opponent a path into the paint.

Once that happens, the responsibility shifts to the help defender. If the low man arrives late, the Lakers can surrender a finish around the basket or force another rotation that leaves a shooter open.

Reaves sees the group’s willingness to pressure the ball as a useful starting point.

“But it's kind of easier to dial that back instead of telling people not to pressure the ball,” he said.

The challenge is refining that effort. Players have to recognize when to crowd their assignment, when to give themselves room and where help will come from.

Those decisions require communication and familiarity, particularly with so many players learning one another’s tendencies.

Offensively, Reaves already understands how Dončić can make his job easier.

“I mean, he's a really good basketball player, and it's not hard to play alongside really good basketball players that make the game easy for you,” Reaves said.

Dončić’s ability to draw defensive attention allows Reaves to attack after the defense has already shifted.

“I knew the attention that he was gonna draw was gonna give me opportunities to play second-side action out of closeouts and out of advantages,” he said.

Those possessions give Reaves options. He can shoot, attack a closing defender or move the ball to a teammate as the defense scrambles.

The newcomers must learn to recognize those same openings. Their spacing, cuts and passing decisions can help preserve the advantage Dončić creates.

Reaves likes the personnel. Building the chemistry he described will determine how often the Lakers turn that promise into complete possessions on both ends.