Reggie Miller did not expect Los Angeles Lakers to be ‘this good’ | Dan Patrick Show | NBC Sports

Reggie Miller did not expect Los Angeles Lakers to be ‘this good’ | Dan Patrick Show | NBC Sports

Reggie Alawishas Miller Jr. III, Hall of Famer, NBC Sports, NBA lead game analyst. We’re 25 games in. This is when we start to go, okay, now it feels like it’s a little bit more than just a trend. It’s it becomes a real story. So, if that’s the case, what would be the number one story? Well, maybe it’s OKC is so much better than everybody else. Would that be the number number one story for you? I think that yes, because now everyone it’s going to be on the tip of people’s tongue. Can they eclipse that Golden State record of winning 73 74 games and at the end of it winning a championship? People need to remember the Warriors have that best record, but they lost uh in the final. So, I think people still view the Bulls because of that 72 and 10 record ended up winning the championship. I think everyone’s thinking when is OKC going to lose again. That would probably be the number one story. And to me, the number two story, we didn’t think Luca and the Lakers would be this good. Um, no one thought LeBron would be the third wheel on this team, which he is, and that’s a heck of a third wheel to have. Austin Reeves is playing like an all-star um in a contract year. I didn’t have the Lakers being this good. The question going forward, can they sustain it in health will be a big issue uh in my opinion for the Lakers? Let’s go back to when Luca was in Dallas and I know that we corresponded and you had said Luca was out of shape. I don’t know the exact language, but then I know after the game you you you started to wonder did you take a step too far? You know, did you were you overly critical? And I wonder looking back on that, what kind of role do you think that played at all with Luca, the Mavericks, and maybe where he is right now with the Lakers? I I think the comments Kevin and I made um not necessarily about his weight, but being in shape to play at an NBA level. And if you listen to Luca’s comments the day after, he echoed what we said like, “Yeah, I’m not in the best of shape. I could be in better shape.” So, he he kind of piggybacked what we said and he knew. I mean, because whenever I say things, it comes from a place of truth and love. I’m not going to sugarcoat anything and I would always want someone to tell me the truth as well when I was a player. I respect that more. So I think he respected kind of what we were saying and you fast forward to now. JJ Reick basically said the same thing in their postseason meetings. You got to get in better shape. Well, what does he do? He goes back to Slovenia. He gets in the best shape. Plays unbelievable. The leading scoreer in Euro basket. carries that over into this year and he’s leading the league in scoring. But more importantly, he it just looks better for him. He’s moving better. There’s more fluidity um to his game. Not to say that he he couldn’t have done that playing the way he played in Dallas, but I think long big and long pitcher for Luca and the Lakers. If he stays in this shape, I I just think the numbers are going to go through the roof because there’s longevity, there’s staying power when he plays at this weight and he looks this good. 50 or more. And there’s a lot of revisionist history too with Austin Reeves because I I didn’t see this. No, I don’t I don’t know who did, but I remember talking to two college basketball analysts and I said, do you remember Austin Reeves with this potential? And they’re like, well, you know, you could see if he was I go, really? I to me, no one saw this coming. Look, no one saw this coming. And again, I I always tell people this. you’re a product of your environment. He went undrafted and he he wanted to sign with the Lakers. He saw a fit and a place where he thought he could build a niche. He took a gamble on himself, Dan. And knock on wood, health provided, I think it’s going to pay off because the Lakers or someone is going to have to pay him because he is a legitimate number one on a bad team if he goes somewhere else. So, he could be a number one on a bad team or if he stays with the Lakers, be an unbelievable Robin to Batman. um because he has certainly taken that role from LeBron and I think they respect that. So right now he’s in the cat bird seat and he controls his own destiny as long as he continues to play like this and understand and know his role which he plays perfectly. Is he going to get $50 million a year? I mean that’s what it looks like. I mean dang. I’m not gonna You can’t fault that. He has put in the work. Think about how he’s come along when he was first thrust into it with just LeBron and LeBron was giving him I remember a clip when LeBron was explaining something to him and he looked like a deer in headlights when LeBron was explaining a rotation on the floor and he was like looking like like what do I do? I rotate. And you fast forward to now he is one of the biggest V voices on this Lakers team. So 50 million is coming his way either from the Lakers or from someone else. The matter will be will it be for five years or four years? He’s getting it somewhere. Yeah. And I don’t begrudge him making the money. It’s you go from undrafted to you’re kind of there and then you would see like little bits and pieces where you go, all right, he can get a shot. All right, he can get to the hole. All right, he’s a great and then all of a sudden LeBron goes out and then all of a sudden Austin Reeves or Luca’s out and then Austin Reeves is like, uh, do I need to get 40? Like that doesn’t, you know, that’s that’s hard to compute where you go, I can go out and get 40, you know, a couple of times here or I can be a 25 point scorer. I I guess it it was just the surprising element of and somebody told me who works with the Lakers, we saw him in practice and you know playing in practice sometimes you’ll see somebody and you’ll go what man he’s a great practice player but doesn’t exactly yeah and it translates to games and this is why I tell kids and high school and college uh players alike rankings really don’t mean anything. They don’t. It’s what’s in your heart and it’s how you developed. I was a late bloomer. Um, and I came on late. I was late to be recruited by UCLA. I was slow to develop at UCLA. They brought me along slow, which was great because they allowed me to grow into my game. And I think Austin Rivers is like that as well. So, don’t worry about rankings. Don’t worry about what other people say. As long as you put the grind in and the hard work, the fruits of your labor will come out. Finding the right fit. Would he be this successful if he was in Minnesota? If he was in Charlotte. We don’t know. Sometimes it’s the right fit. And let’s give Rob Pelinka and that staff a lot of credit for taking a gamble. Sometimes you got to take a gamble, a risky gamble, and it it pays off and it works out. talking to Reggie Miller, the Hall of Famer. When do the Bucks decide what they’re going to do with Giannis? To me, it’s got to be sooner than later. Um, and if you’re Doc Rivers, and I know he’s said all the right things that Giannis has not come out and said he wants to be traded, but you you just have to figure, are we wasting this young man’s prime years here? They’ve tried to do everything to surround him with talent. Um, now he’s got to stay on the court. Now, I know he’s had some nagging nagging injuries this last this this year as well as towards the end of last year. Um, to me, I I he doesn’t want to be the aole. He doesn’t want to come out and be demonstrative and say, “I want to be traded.” But to me, he he has earned the right. He brought them a championship. But he’s got to be careful that he doesn’t say, “I want to go to the Knicks.” He’s got to be I’m open to being traded. Everything has to be behind closed doors with him. And I’m sure he’s he’s voiced that, but he just can’t public publicly come out and say I want to go to the Knicks, which everyone that’s our job, but we everyone’s formulating the numbers. Will it be Miami? Will it be New York? Could it be LA? Who do you is Reeves in this deal? I mean, there’s there’s so many ways that people are crunching the numbers. It just from a basketball standpoint then you and you know this him in New York just makes sense doesn’t it paired okay but who does you got to look at both sides of the deal people only look at one side and they go man Giannis with the Knicks okay who were the Bucks going to get and you go you know what we did the best we could we have Carl Anthony Towns and we have Mikuel Bridges and we have what is that Uh I I and probably a protected pick. I mean, if you’re if you’re Milwaukee and I can get Carl Anthony Towns, who’s an all-star, one of the premier shooting big men our game has ever seen, and Muel Bridges, who hasn’t missed a game since his seventh grade AAOU team, so you know he’s reliable and will play. You’re getting two guys that have been on. I know you’ll never get fair value. You’re never gonna get equal trade value for Giannis. But you don’t want draft picks. You would You want You want I need a I need a couple draft picks as well. I need those two guys and I need two first round picks. Let’s shake hands and call it a day. You mentioned this a couple of weeks ago and I have a friend who works in the NBA and he goes, “What’s Reggie smoking when you said Khan Canipple and his three-point shooting?” And I said, I think Reggie firmly believes Khan Canipple, he’s going to set the all-time rookie record for three-pointers made. That’s a Yeah, that’s a given. The question will be, here’s the thing. When people say, you know, what am I smoking? The question will be for Khan, will he be a go-to guy? Like how Steph was a go-to guy from years five through now? because his first three or four years he was in he was injury riddled. Yeah. So, so Khan will have those numbers on Steph the first three years. The question going forward for Khan will be in year four and five. Where’s his development and where is he in the pecking order if he is even if he’s still in Charlotte? Who even knows if he’ll be there? That’s will he have the longevity because Steph has always had the longevity after year four and he was the go-to guy. I will Khan be a go-to guy and will he always get these get the opportunities that Steph has gotten? Who knows? But if you’re going to go by the first two or three years, Khan will have the numbers on Steph. Do you know who has the rookie record for most three-pointers made? Paulie said, “I would be shocked.” Now, is this a recent guy, Paulie? Yeah, he’s still pretty young. He plays in a town that doesn’t get a ton of coverage on the NBA calendar. Trey Young, Keegan Murray, 2063s as a rookie with your Kings, Dan. Wow. Your guy Khan Canipple right now. What is that number, by the way? 236. 206 for Keegan Murray. Khan Canipple right now is on pace for 263 threes. He blow away the record. Yeah. Dang. But he plays in Charlotte. That’s the problem. And will he stay in Charlotte his whole career or will someone come a calling? Right. So, does he stay healthy? And will he ever be a go-to guy like Stephen Curry? He’s not even a go-to guy on Charlotte right now. The reason why he’s getting all these threes is LaMelo’s been in and out of the lineups. Brandon Miller’s been in and out of the lineups. So, the opportunity is there. I would I’m curious to see once everyone is healthy, does he still get these looks, which I hope he does because he’s a flatout shooter. Um, but again, view him on his first three years versus Steph’s first three years. He’ll have the numbers. The question will be for going forward will be year four on can the Hornets be a playoff team if LaMelo Ball is your best player? Um, no. Nothing to add there. I mean, I love LaMelo. No, I love LaMelo, but LaMelo has to stay healthy. And to me, he just has to he’s just a curiosity. He’s a curio. He’s just a he’s a guy out there having fun. But I I don’t think I would love to see him on a really really good team where every possession matters. Uh Paulie Paulie, what what do you have? Reggie Miller’s total threes as a rookie. By the way, Reggie came off the bench as a rookie. So he played 82 games, started one. He was 61 for 172 as a rookie. 61 threes. And I broke Larry Bird’s record. Yes. Record. That was breaking Larry Bird’s record. I think Larry Bird had like 57, right, Paulie? That’s right. I broke it with 61. Wow. And what is Con at right now currently? He’s at 81. Come on, man. And And we’re not even We’re only a quarter up to the season. I know. He’s gonna And great. For all you haters out there, do your homework. Do your homework. Uh, what did Reggie average assistwise, boy? I think he uh had three assists that season. No, no, you had 132 assists. No, you could pass if you wanted to. No. Right. Thank you, Theodore. If I wanted to. My job. My job description for the Pacers. Leader, put the ball in the basket. Five minutes left in the game. Close the game. That’s what it said on my bio. Oh, it did? Okay. That was my job description when they hired me. Uh I love that Reggie would pass it, but he wanted it back after he passed. He said, “Pass it, I’ll pass it back.” I pass it, I’ll pass it back. Bring it back. Uh what what’s his uh careerhigh assist in a game? In a game? Uh I in a season? Triple double. One triple double. That was it. Okay. Like 10. I got 11 assists in a game for Reggie. His best season he averaged four assists a game year five. Wow. Why are you looking at me like that, Theodore? I don’t know. The game has changed today. We had point We had point guards that distributed the ball. We had shooting guards that shot the ball. We had small forwards who were like wing players who defended. How many How many assist did Bird How many assist did Bird average when he was playing? cuz he had a point guard. He ended up getting, you know, seven, eight assists. That’s different. Barry Legend and Magic were different. Larry Bird’s best season, he aaged seven and a half assists a game. Okay. All right. I’m just saying he was a shooter and a rebounder, but also passing. You were coming up with excuses there. No, no, no excuses. Just knowing my role. That’s the key for 18 years plus is knowing your role. Were you ever a first or second or third team all defense? No. No. Now what they should have had a category for was I could have been first, second, third team all team defense. Oh, I was a great team defender. You were a helper. Yeah. Great help defender. So when someone got beat, slide over and then let Dale and Rick and Wait a minute. Wait a minute. But you you were guarding shooting guards. You’re the one that needed team help. Well, I I forced them into the help. Oh, that’s a good one. That’s help defense. You forced them to your big help. Help. Help. Somebody pick up Kobe. Everybody get Kobe. Help. Help. Uh, thank you, Re. Good to talk to you. I appreciate you, Theodore. Thank you, Daniel. Paulie, great job out those stat. Thanks, buddy. That’s what you do. You get an assist there, Paulie. That’s what you get.

Reggie Miller joins Dan Patrick to break down his view of the Los Angeles Lakers, including Austin Reaves’ ascension in 2025, when the Bucks will make a decision on Giannis, and more. #NBCSports #danpatrickshow #NBA
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Reggie Miller did not expect Los Angeles Lakers to be ‘this good’ | Dan Patrick Show | NBC Sports
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