Austin Reaves said on May 20 that the Los Angeles Lakers did not give up on their season after both he and Luka Doncic suffered Grade 2 muscle strains against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Doncic did not return, and Reaves missed nearly four weeks, but the team continued to compete and advanced past the Houston Rockets before being swept by Oklahoma City in the playoffs.
Reaves said this perseverance is what he will remember about the year. “Yeah, I mean JJ [Redick] touched on it in the locker room after the game,” Reaves said after the Lakers were eliminated. “It’s been fun, it’s been a joy, it’s been a grind. A lot of things didn’t go our way this season, and there was a lot of opportunities for us to quit, and that’s not who we’ve got in the locker room or the organization. Everybody stuck together.
“He touched on, that OKC game in OKC when we lost, I [got] hurt, Luka [Doncic] got hurt. We go to Dallas and lose. I’ve been around the NBA for five years now. I know a lot of teams would’ve given up then, and that wasn’t the case with this team. It’s been fun to go to work every single day. Yeah, I love this team.”
Reaves indicated that most NBA teams might have ended their efforts under similar circumstances but credited his teammates for maintaining unity throughout challenges.
Looking ahead, reports indicate that Reaves may decline his player option to become an unrestricted free agent following what has been described as his best professional season so far. Several teams—including Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks and Utah Jazz—are reportedly interested in acquiring him should he enter free agency.
The conclusion of this season highlighted how closely connected members of this year’s Lakers squad became through adversity.