Austin Reaves 'got really frustrated' when LeBron James tried to mentor him

Austin Reaves and LeBron James are thriving in their mentee-mentor dynamic, but it wasn't always smooth sailing. According to Reaves, he didn't warm up to James when the NBA's all-time leading scorer attempted to take him under his wing as a rookie in 2021.

In an interview with Taylor Geas of Lakers.com, Reaves revealed he pushed back when James demanded more from him.  

"Ever since day one, I remember my rookie year, he was on my a— for a two-week stretch, and I was getting frustrated," Reaves said of James. "I would mess up in games, and he would critique me a lot. I got real frustrated because I felt like he just kept coming after me. Kept coming after me. But not in a bad way — he just wanted me to be better."

Reaves approached ex-Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy to complain about James, saying "He needs to give me a break, I'm still learning."

Handy responded, "The only reason he's on you like that is because he believes in you."

James' prodding worked, with Reaves turning into one of the best two-guards in the NBA over the last four years. Reaves remains grateful to the veteran for pushing him to his limit.  

"From day one, he’s been one of the biggest reasons that I’ve continued to grow," Reaves said. 

The interview also quoted James as saying he "knew" from the onset that Reaves had the tools to become a quality NBA player.

Reaves is not a candidate for Most Improved Player, but he should be. The fourth-year guard has upped his points (15.9 to 19.2) and assists (5.5 to 6.1) while making a career-high 2.6 threes per game. He also leads all Lakers starters in plus/minus (+147) for the season.