Popular Los Angeles Lakers legend Byron Scott literally laughed out loud when hearing fans praise for Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler. Lakers fans referring to the team’s best players as one of the top NBA “big three” units made Scott scratch head. Luka Doncic was the only member of the Lakers’ top trio to get full respect from Scott upon hearing that.
Scott shared the following sentiment on his podcast about the Lakers’ big three:
“That ain’t a Big 3 [laughs],” Scott joked. “They got a Big One and a Half. Y’all need to slow your roll first of all. I mean, they played the Clippers, the Warriors, and the Utah Jazz. Let’s wait a couple of weeks. Again, we got to see them against Minnesota, OKC, Denver, San Antonio, Houston. I’m still waiting for them to get the upper echelon of the top teams in the Western Conference.”
Scott referred to Reaves “half” of a superstar and didn’t fit Kessler into the equation of being part of a “big three” group. The quote also revealed that Scott feels the Lakers need to play against better teams before we make any judgment. Two weeks of NBA play so far sees the Lakers playing the Portland Trail Blazers and an injured Toronto Raptors as their toughest opponents.
Did Byron Scott Disrespect Austin Reaves
The most noteworthy aspect of the quote to rub Lakers’ fans the wrong way featured Reaves getting called half of a player in a big three. Reaves has yet to make the NBA All-Star team yet to prove Scott’s point, but he has a stronger chance no longer being third fiddle behind LeBron James and Doncic.
An All-Star appearance and a strong full consistent year of great play is needed for Reaves to fully shut Scott up. Reaves having a terrible performance in a recent loss against the Golden State Warriors showed his turnovers can be a real problem.
Both Luka and Reaves are in the top five of most player turnovers per game this season. Kessler has delivered strong results since acquiring him from the Utah Jazz, but he’s no superstar. Scott was not being too unfair about his thoughts, even the joking did rub some Lakers fans the wrong way.
Lakers Schedule Gets Tougher Soon
Scott wants to see how the Lakers do against top West teams like the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets before saying they are contenders. The Lakers have done a good job starting with a strong record against weaker competition.
However, November will see things getting tougher, and games will see where they rank against other playoff teams. Road games against the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks earlier in the month will see them facing young tougher East teams.
The month ends with more intense Western Conference games against the Spurs and Rockets. Doncic, Reaves, and Kessler can call themselves a “big three” if they do well to continue raising the team’s ceiling. Until then, Scott is right to question that and wonder if they can compare to top West teams.
Lakers Legend Mocks Austin Reaves, Walker Kessler’s Fan Label