New Laker Austin Reaves draws praise from LeBron James. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

One new Los Angeles Laker has LeBron James throwing on his Davy Jones wig and singing “I’m A Believer.”

James had high praise for Lakers rookie Austin Reaves after Thursday’s preseason loss to the Sacramento Kings. The 22-year-old guard filled up the stat sheet with five points, five rebounds and seven assists off the bench.

“He’s an NBA player,” James said of Reaves, per Lakers reporter Mike Trudell. “He can play at this level. I watched a lot of film on him when we [signed] him. His size, shot-making ability, passing. High-IQ kid, and he has a lot of dog in him.”

Reaves, who recently went from a two-way contract to a standard contract with the Lakers, is now getting an opportunity to strut his stuff. The Lakers have suffered injuries to Wayne Ellington, Talen Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn and others, opening up more playing time in the backcourt.

The former Oklahoma star Reaves already has plenty of meme potential. Now it definitely looks like he has the game to back it up as well.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Mavericks advance to Western Conference Finals aided by controversial call late
Connor McDavid, Oilers hammer Canucks to force Game 7
Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk epic increases excitement for potential rematch
Seize the Grey wins in muddy Preakness
Even Mike Budenholzer admits the Suns need a point guard
Watch: Juan Soto's first multi-homer game as a Yankee
Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa lead at PGA Championship
Knicks could get major boost for Game 7 showdown with Pacers
Giants All-Star pitcher suffers setback in recovery from injury
Panthers star named winner of 2024 Selke Trophy
WNBA to investigate $100,000 sponsorship deals for Aces players
Tiger Woods blames one big factor for missing the cut at PGA Championship
'Ain't good enough': Draymond Green claims Celtics must 'win it all' or it's a 'failure'
Blue Jays GM wants struggling club to feel 'massive sense of urgency'
Raptors expected to flip former NBA champion during the offseason
MLB insider reveals Mets' massive extension offer that Pete Alonso turned down
Celtics legend provides update after gruesome finger injury
Bulls hire former NBA head coach as top assistant
Chiefs move on from young running back
20-year MLB veteran working out, unsure about playing future

Want more Lakers news?

Join the hundreds of thousands of fans who start their day with Yardbarker's Morning Bark, the best newsletter in sports.