Draymond Green has strong praise for fan favorite sharpshooter after Warriors elimination

The Los Angeles Lakers find themselves just one series away from their second NBA Finals berth in four years, a scenario that just a few months back seemed nearly impossible. It has been quite the storybook journey up the Western Conference ranks for the Lakers of late. 

And a case could be made that no player better personifies that uptick more so than second-year sharpshooter Austin Reaves who, after flexing his moxie in Los Angeles' 4-2 Conference semifinals defeat of the Golden State Warriors, can now add Draymond Green to his ever-growing list of fans. 

“Austin Reaves, man, a guy who got off to a slow start in this series, finished with 23 and I think for the last three-four games maybe he played well," Green said on the latest episode of The Draymond Green Show. "He earned my respect. Definitely earned my respect. Competing at the level that he competed at throughout this series."

After dropping 17-plus points against the Memphis Grizzlies on three occasions in the first round of the playoffs, Reaves hit a rough patch early on vs. Golden State, averaging just nine points per game and shooting 31.2% from the field. 

Despite the slow start, the Oklahoma product re-emerged in a big way in Game 4 with a 21-point showing. From there he didn't look back, closing out the series on a three-game stretch where he averaged 19.7 points per game and shot 48.7% from the field, nearly 18% better than his percentage over the first half of the series. 

"These lights get bright, we’ve seen guys these playoffs say these lights get too bright, and they get too bright for a lot of people. It didn’t start off great and that's a guy who's up for a contract," Green highlighted, pointing towards Reaves' looming restricted free agency. "For the series to not start off great for him and for him to stick with it and have the impact that he had on the series said a lot to me. You see so many guys that just shrink in these moments and don't live up to the moment. "

Reaves may never be a superstar, but he's certainly more than just a flash in the pan. The 24-year-old has developed into a consistent piece in Darvin Ham's rotation and was arguably LA's third-best option behind LeBron James (23.4 ppg) and Anthony Davis (21.5 ppg) during the team's postseason run. Not bad for a former undrafted free agent who appears destined for a hefty payday this summer.