LeBron James says JJ Redick has made a successful decision with Austin Reaves this season

LeBron James talks about JJ Redick giving Austin Reaves more responsibility this season

Reaves has been the Lakers’ second best player behind Doncic this season.

In the absence of Doncic and James, Reaves has been able to shoulder the load for the Lakers on offense.

Is Austin Reaves a reliable No. 2 option?

Austin Reaves’ performances this season have been INSANE! He is averaging more in his fifth season in the NBA than Kobe Bryant did!

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Overall, Reaves is having a career year averaging 28.4 points, 6.7 assists and 5.5 rebounds on 50.9 percent shooting from the field.

LeBron James talked about what has changed for Reaves this season.

“AR [Austin Reaves] has picked up exactly where he left off of.

“Confidence, he’s also healthier this year (0:08) than he was last year. And I know he kind of set out a couple of games this year. But last year, he was dealing with a toe issue late in the season.

“So he came into the season a lot healthier, but also just the confidence. Understanding that his role is going to continue to pick up more usage rate, more responsibility.

“He’s not just one of the guys. He’s one of the guys on our team. And he wants that responsibility.

“So I think the coaching staff, JJ [Redick], knew it wasn’t too far-fetched to give him more responsibility. And he’s just taking full advantage of it.

“The guy is, he plays golf and he plays basketball. That’s him. He has time and he puts the work in. And then he goes on a golf course and clears his mind.

“And then he plays basketball and he clears his mind. And I think the guy is just, he’s just a great dude, man. I’m so happy for all the success so far.”

Should the Los Angeles Lakers try to trade Austin Reaves for Giannis Antetokounmpo?

Reaves is playing as well as Kobe Bryant when comparing their fifth NBA seasons. But despite this, Reaves’ name keeps getting mentioned in potential trades.

Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to float around in trade rumors and the Lakers keep being linked to him.

Giannis Antetokounmpo to the LA Lakers mock trade

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However, the Lakers would likely have to include Reaves in a potential deal for Giannis. This has brought up a ton of debate on whether the Lakers should trade Reaves or not.

Some have not hesitated when it comes to trading Reaves for Giannis, but others have stated they would be reluctant to trade the 27-year-old in this scenario.