Austin Reaves Says If He Was LeBron, 'S--t, I Probably Would Have Retired By Now'
The Los Angeles Lakers were missing LeBron James in Tuesday's season-opening 119-109 loss to the Golden State Warriors, and guard Austin Reaves feels like the team needs to get used to being without him as his iconic career nears its end.
"If I were LeBron James, s--t, I probably would have retired by now," Reaves said after the game, per The Athletic's Dan Woike. "Yeah, he's one of the greatest players to ever touch a basketball. So you have to do it as a collective group."
Reaves chipped in 26 points, five rebounds, nine assists and two steals to support Lakers star Luka Doncic, who dropped a game-high 43 points with 12 rebounds, nine assists, two steals and a block. However, the Lakers' third-leading scorer was Deandre Ayton with 10 points, and no other players on the team scored in double figures.
While Reaves praised the team's effort, he admitted that Los Angeles will need more contributions to try to fill the void left by James as he continues his recovery from sciatica in his right side, which will force him to miss at least three to four weeks.
"You've got to do what you think is best to help the team win. And I feel like that's what we did tonight. We came up short, but obviously, when you're missing a guy like Bron, you're not gonna fill that with one person," Reaves said. "You have to try to fill that … I need to do something a little better. Luka needs to do something a little better, Rui (Hachimura)'s got to pitch in a little more."
Lakers head coach JJ Redick echoed Reaves' sentiments, saying more players will need to step up their production in James' absence and remain consistent upon his return.
"Oftentimes, when you are playing without one of your best guys, it's not necessarily right at the beginning of the season," Redick said. "He hasn't practiced with the team yet. Our group is comfortable with what the group is right now. And we need all guys to star in their roles. I don't think that changes if LeBron is in the lineup or if he's out of the lineup."
The Lakers will try to have a more balanced attack when they return to action on Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
