LeBron James<\/a> sidelined for his second straight game because of a left elbow contusion and left foot arthritis.\u00a0<\/p>\nBefore Reaves\u2019 extended absence, he was averaging 26.6 points on 50.7% shooting from the field, 6.3 assists and 5.2 rebounds a game. He was one of the NBA\u2019s top 10 scorers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But since he returned Feb. 3, he has only scored 20-plus points three times over 15 contests.<\/p>\n
One of the biggest issues has clearly been that Reaves is trying to find his place in a crowded offense alongside superstars James and Luka Doncic. Before the All-Star break, the trio had only played 11 games together. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Since then, they\u2019ve been trying to find a rhythm after James missed the\u00a0first 14 games of the season because of sciatica, Reaves missed every game in January and Doncic was sidelined four games at the beginning of February because of a hamstring injury.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As the Big 3 has tried to learn how to effectively share the court, Reaves has looked a little less like Reaves.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Heading into Sunday\u2019s game, Lakers coach JJ Redick said that was something he was trying to change.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the messaging to him has just been to be himself,\u201d Redick said. \u201cAnd I think sometimes when you miss time and there\u2019s circumstances going on with the team that you can kind of be a little passive. \u2026 We want him to be aggressive. Every time he gets the ball, we want him to be aggressive and have a mentality to touch the paint.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reaves played as though he internalized those words Sunday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He dazzled with three 3-pointers. He aggressively\u00a0drove through the lane. He made sure he was a threat every time he touched the ball.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just kept telling him, \u2018Touch the paint, touch the paint, touch the paint,’\u201d Redick said. \u201cHe was really strong today. \u2026 When people talk about physicality, we always talk about physicality on defense, but you need physicality on offense. And I thought he was very physical offensively and that allowed him to score the basket, allowed him to draw fouls. And they\u2019ve got a lot of size and they\u2019re a big team, and he did a great job.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was a great reminder of the player who dazzled at the start of the season. You know, the one who had a 51-point, 11-rebound, nine-assist performance in the Lakers\u2019 third game of the season, followed by a 41-point performance on 59% shooting in their fourth contest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHillbilly\u00a0Kobe\u201d was living up to his nickname. Reaves, who is eligible for a five-year, $241 million maximum contract extension with the Lakers this summer, was playing as though he was hungry to earn every penny of that deal. When he didn\u2019t make the All-Star team, it was considered one of the biggest snubs in the West.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Lakers](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GettyImages-2264996687.jpg\")
OS ANGELES, CA \u2013 MARCH 8: Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots a free throw during the game against the New York Knicks on March 8, 2026 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and\/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi\/NBAE via Getty Images)
\nNew York Knicks v Los Angeles Lakers NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n
But since then, things have slowed down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As for Reaves\u2019 mentality entering Sunday\u2019s game?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHave fun,\u201d he said. \u201cWoke up, early game, I was tired when I got here. I just told myself to have fun. I don\u2019t feel like I\u2019ve played bad, I just haven\u2019t made a lot of shots. I feel like I\u2019ve done a lot of other things well. Just continuing to play the game the right way, and I feel like good will come to good.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Reaves took things to\u00a0another level Sunday. In addition to being the second-leading scorer behind Doncic (35 points), Reaves had four rebounds, five assists, three steals and one blocked shot. \u00a0He was everywhere.\u00a0Now, he just needs to figure how to play at that level alongside both of the team\u2019s superstars.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlaying with him, it makes my life easy,\u201d Doncic said.<\/p>\n
Reaves\u2019 amplified aggression helped the Lakers (39-25) secure a win in which they can be proud. The whole team\u00a0was gritty. They were swarming. They never trailed the Knicks<\/a> (41-24). Entering Sunday\u2019s game, the\u00a0Lakers were 4-12 against opponents with a record better than .600, according to ESPN.\u00a0<\/p>\nWhen Reaves plays to his potential, things dramatically shift for the Lakers. That was evident in the team\u2019s 15-4 start. And it was obvious Sunday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rui Hachimura summed things up concisely.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen he\u2019s aggressive, good things are going to happen,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lately, Austin Reaves had been a muted version of himself. He opened\u00a0the season playing All-Star-caliber basketball, looking like…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":647977,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3790],"tags":[2096,7,160,4034,1698,300,4044,251,150,4033,4043,6,191,66],"class_list":["post-647976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles-lakers","tag-austin","tag-basketball","tag-california","tag-la","tag-la-lakers","tag-lakers","tag-lalakers","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-lakers","tag-losangeles","tag-losangeleslakers","tag-nba","tag-new-york-knicks","tag-sports"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116196544542733705","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/647976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=647976"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/647976\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/647977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=647976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=647976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=647976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Lakers](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GettyImages-2265008522.jpg\")
LOS ANGELES, CA \u2013 MARCH 8: Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers drives to the basket during the game against the New York Knicks on March 8, 2026 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and\/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi\/NBAE via Getty Images)