After the Lakers’ thrilling victory over the Celtics, it seems that LeBron James’ passive-aggressive callout was effective for Austin Reaves and the team.
The Los Angeles Lakers appeared to be hitting rock bottom as they went into their Thursday night game against the Boston Celtics having lost two of their previous games by a wide margin. To make matters worse, LeBron James and Anthony Davis were both sidelined for the rivalry game. However, the Lakers’ seemingly inevitable defeat was actually the perfect trap game for the Celtics, who won 114-105 thanks to an incredible performance from Austin Reaves, who may have had his best game of the year.
Reaves hasn’t quite been able to replicate the magic of the late season that ended the 2022–2023 season and elevated his stature. Nonetheless, this was a positive move. With a game-high 32 points, he demonstrated his three-level scoring ability, which has made him one of the Lakers’ most potent weapons.
Fans of the Purple and Gold may only have LeBron James to thank for kindling a fire beneath the 25-year-old guard, as Austin Reaves’ performance in the midst of all the trade rumors surrounding the Lakers is nothing short of extraordinary. The Locked on Lakers podcast hosts, the Kamenetzky Brothers, claim that Reaves and the team as a whole were “resonant” with LeBron’s recent postgame quote to “go out and do your job.”
James’ remarks after the Lakers’ lopsided loss to the Hawks on Tuesday definitely fit the description of someone who is passive-aggressive when they are experiencing a lot of frustration. As great as James is, though, he also expects greatness from his teammates. But in this instance, Austin Reaves and company’s greatness was demonstrated by playing twice as hard, making more second shots, and increasing the tempo on both ends of the court.
With less than a week until the trade deadline passes, it is still unclear what steps the Lakers will take to try and turn things around. But what a triumph that was for LA in the face of so much hardship, for both the coaches and the players. These Lakers will not go down without a fight, as shown by their outstanding performance in the victory over the Celtics.