Getty Austin Reaves, Los Angeles Lakers
On December 13, the Los Angeles Lakers fell to an overtime defeat against the Boston Celtics in heartbreaking fashion.
When speaking to reporters at Lakers Nation, Reaves noted how losing to the Celtics in the final minutes of overtime had left him not wanting to talk to anyone.
“No, that one hurt me. That one hurt me…I had people calling me after that game and I was just like ‘I don’t want to talk.’ I don’t know what it was about that game specifically, but I wasn’t, we as a team, but I was not very happy about that one,” Reaves said.
Austin Reaves is still bothered by the Lakers losing to the Celtics days later.
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Los Angeles has had a difficult start to the new season, but have been figuring things out in recent weeks, so to lose such a close game to a Celtics team that had lost their previous two contests was certainly a tough pill to swallow.
Luckily, the Lakers got straight back to winning ways as they defeated the Denver Nuggets 126-108 in the following contest, although that victory was bittersweet as it also resulted in an injury to superstar forward Anthony Davis.
Darvin Ham Was Impressed With Thomas Bryant
With Davis leaving early during the Lakers game against the Nuggets, it was Thomas Bryant who was tasked with filling the MVP candidates boots – something which he took in his stride en route to a 21-point, six-rebound performance that saw the 25-year-old convert 81.8% of his shots from the field.
Speaking to the media following the game, head coach Darvin Ham heaped praise onto Bryant, lauding his ability to stay ready despite having limited playing time off the bench.
Darvin Ham on @nolimittb31‘s performance, the #Lakers execution down the stretch and an update on Anthony Davis.
“That’s why we have play groups, stay ready groups for guys, low minute or no minute guys to continue to stay sharp. And he did that, and he came out and had a really, really huge effort against a two-time MVP and really helped us on both sides of the basketball. Just his energy and activity, his no-quit mentality. I mean, we needed that, he was a huge burst for us,” Ham said.
Since rejoining the Lakers this past summer, Bryant has participated in 14 games, averaging 15.1 minutes per contest and providing the purple and gold with 9.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks per game while shooting 33.3% from deep and 79.3% from two-point range.
Kyle Kuzma Speaks Out on Being Linked to the Lakers
While it was encouraging to see Bryant make an impact off the Lakers bench, and Reaves continues to be a breath of fresh air as a young and impactful player for the future, the fact remains that the Lakers need some fresh talent to shake up their underachieving roster.
Kyle Kuzma has recently found himself rumored as a potential trade candidate for Los Angeles, but according to an interview he did with Fox Sports’ Melissa Rohlin on December 17, it would appear that he’s not sold on a possible reunion with the team he helped win a championship for back in 2020.
Y’all forget how good Laker Kyle Kuzma is
“I think it just shows you the grass is not always greener…It’s definitely a good thing because at the end of the day, that means I’ve been playing well, and I have value in this league, that a team would want to trade for me. It’s a blessing,” Kuzma said.
Regardless of whether Los Angeles acquires Kuzma or not, logic would tell us that the Lakers’ rotation will look different by the time the February trade deadline passes. Until then, the Lakers will continue to grind out wins, and fans will be hoping that’s enough for them to climb the Western Conference and get into a playoff position heading into the midway point of the season.