Lakers' D'Angelo Russell Hypes Austin Reaves' Mentality: 'He Got Game'

The Los Angeles Lakers decided to keep two of their best guards by re-signing both Austin Reaves and D'Angelo Russell this summer.

Russell is happy to spend two more years playing with Reaves, whom he hyped up on a Thursday episode of Barstool Sports' Pat Bev Podcast.

"He got game," Russell said about Reaves, calling his teammate a "killer."

Even when LeBron James was injured this past season, Reaves was able to help keep the Lakers afloat, Russell said.

"I was seeing his demeanor, and he was just like, he was never excited about it. He just kind of always felt like, 'Yeah, I can do that. I'm built like that,'" Russell said.

Russell will re-join the Lakers next season on a two-year, $36 million deal with a player option in the second year. Reaves is back on a four-year, $53.8 million contract with a player option in his fourth year.

With Reaves and Russell back, Russell said the "sky is the limit" for the 2023-24 Lakers.

"Whatever or however it gets done, if everybody is locked in to just giving the team what it needs that night. That night might be scoring, the next night might be eight assists, the next night might be all passes because they ran you off and you made the one more to Austin Reaves in the corner, he's hitting... If we're all committed to that, I think sky is the limit for the group," Russell said.

Reaves began the 2022-23 campaign as a bench player, then was sidelined for over a month due to a hamstring strain.

When he returned from injury, however, Reaves' role with the Lakers gradually increased.

After scoring a career-high 35 points in a 111-105 win over the Orlando Magic on March 19, Reaves ended the season by averaging 18.3 points and 6.1 assists in 34 minutes per night throughout the Lakers' final 10 regular-season contests.

Reaves continued that level of play into the postseason, where he topped 20 points seven times in 16 starts to help Los Angeles reach the Western Conference Finals.

The Lakers were out of the playoff picture prior to Reaves' breakout March performance against the Magic.

Russell, who returned to the team in February following a mid-season trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Reaves, who abruptly emerged as an undisputed starter, each served as catalysts to the Lakers suddenly becoming a threat in the 2023 postseason.

With both guards back on the roster in 2023-24, Russell and the Lakers will hope to make it even further into the playoffs next spring.