Austin Reaves Issues Strong Statement on D’Angelo Russell After Lakers Beat Grizzlies

Getty Lakers guards D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves

Austin Reaves had a lot to say about D’Angelo Russell after the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 1.

Reaves said Russell is a “really, really good basketball player.”

“D’Lo is a really, really good basketball player,” Reaves said. “And I think what people were talking about for him during the play-in game or after the play-in game was he didn’t play well, but you go back and look and he had eight assists. He’s so unselfish. That carries a long way for a group. When he comes off a pick-and roll, swing, swing, or you kick it to him when he has a three, but he throws the extra (pass). It goes a long way. So it’s not always about what you see on the stat sheet, and then obviously tonight, he was big. What he have, 19 points, seven assists? Like I said, he’s really good.”

Russell had 19 points and seven assists versus the Grizzlies in Game 1 while shooting 7-of-17 from the field and 3-of-9 from beyond the arc. The one-time All-Star bounced back after struggling against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 7-8 play-in game on April 11. Russell shot 1-of-9 from the floor and finished with only two points in 23 minutes in that contest and was benched for Dennis Schroder.

D’Angelo Russell Wasn’t Mad After Getting Benched

Russell told reporters on April 14 that he wasn’t upset about getting benched. The Ohio State product was happy that Schroder played well and the Lakers won.

“We needed to win honestly,” Russell told reporters on April 14. “We needed to win. For me to dwell on it and be upset or confidence low, I don’t think that’s the right approach. Definitely want to do anything and everything I can do to not be in that position in the future.”

Russell had eight assists against the Timberwolves. The lefty knows he can impact the game even if his shot isn’t falling.

“I try to show that I’m that type of player. I could’ve had 20 assists that night. Could’ve had 15 assists that night. If I’m not making shots, I can still control the game. Simple as that,” Russell said. “If I’m making shots, the game’s probably over. So just knowing that I’m that type of player, not losing any confidence with whether coach doesn’t decide to go with me or if he does. Just knowing that I’m that type of player.”

The Lakers are certainly glad that Russell scored the ball well versus the Grizzlies. Los Angeles will look to take a 2-0 series lead over Memphis in Game 2.

Austin Reaves Was Amazing in Game 1 vs. the Grizzlies

Reaves couldn’t be stopped in Game 1. The guard finished with 23 points while shooting 8-of-13 from the floor and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.

“We trust him with the ball in his hands early in the game and late in the game,” Lakers superstar LeBron James said about Reaves after Game 1. “So we got something going in the fourth quarter, and after every stop or if we didn’t get a stop or whatever, I think Jaren Jackson went on like a 5-0 run by himself when we went up seven, we went back to AR and just put the ball in his hands, he was able to hit a pull-up two, able to hit a three when they kind of had a soft switch and then hit another pull-up two to put us up eight. So he closed the game for us offensively.”

James, Reaves and Russell combined for 63 points against the Grizzlies in Game 1.