Lebron James, Marcus Smart Defended Austin Reaves After Poor Game 1

It’s easy to have camaraderie when teams are winning. Jokes are funnier, roles are embraced and the game of basketball is pure bliss.

How you respond to adversity, though, says a lot more about your team. So far, the Lakers remain united even after falling behind 1-0 in their series against the Thunder.

There are plenty of things the Lakers can do better as a unit and as individuals, but a lot of the criticism has been aimed at Austin Reaves. Which is understandable since he had a putrid performance, going 3-16 from the field, scoring just eight points.

With LA taking on the best team in the NBA on the road, their best player can’t be a no-show on this stage. However, after the loss, his teammates all advocated for him and reminded everyone of the situation Reaves is in.

“He was out a month,” LeBron James said. “We know he’s going to make shots and make plays but that’s tough. You’re out a month toward the end of the season. Obviously, we were trying to fast track him getting back on the floor and doing the things he was doing before the injury but he was out a month so rightfully so if he has some games where he’s missing shots or whatever the case may be. But his presence alone helps us, no matter what.”

It’s true that this is far from an ideal scenario for Austin. He did everything he could to come back from his Grade 2 oblique strain and returned earlier than anticipated. For him to get back so fast and immediately have to play in close-out playoff games is tough. He has no time to ramp up or get whatever rust he has off his game.

Instead of bemoaning his misses, his teammates are focused on how to get Reaves going.

“Just try to get him some easy shots,” Marcus Smart said. “Do a good job of putting him in spots to not only create for himself but create for others as well and just talking to him. We understand that he’s coming back. It’s only his third game back. We understand that. We understand it’s going to take some time. But we’re here and that’s why you got four other guys out there with him to help pick him up and we got to do a better job.”

Reaves wasn’t just missing wide-open shots against the Thunder, OKC worked hard to make him earn every shot he got.

Most of Reaves’ shots required a ton of on-ball activity before an attempt went up. Reaves took four shots, where he had to take seven or more dribbles. No other Lakers took as many shots, dribbling that much. In the paint, he was surrounded by OKC defenders, and they forced him to settle for tough twos. On his attempts outside of the restricted area, but inside the arc, Reaves went 1-6.

“He didn’t play well, but he’s going to bounce back,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said. “He’s a great player.”

Even superstar Luka Dončić chimed in on Reaves’ struggles and offered some vocal support.

“My message to him is just be yourself,” Luka said. “We all know he’s an amazing player, and we all know he’s going to bounce back. So I’m just here to support and whatever he needs I can help, but. Just, just be yourself. He’s an amazing player.”

We have years of data that Reaves is a special talent. Overreactions to Game 1 of a series are commonplace and always a bit too much.

Sure, Reaves was awful, but he’s played great games at this stage plenty of times before. He’s had a 23-point performance against the Grizzlies, Warriors, and Nuggets during the team’s 2023 Western Conference Finals run. He’s only gotten better since then, and one bad night doesn’t erase years of hard work.

His teammates have his back, and so does his coach. The playoffs are all about adjustments, and now that the Lakers have seen how the Thunder defend Reaves, changes will be made and it’s more likely than not that Reaves will bounce back.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.