Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick is encouraging Austin Reaves to step up as a leader on the team. As Reaves enters his fifth season, he has become a key contributor and is seen as an important secondary scoring option for the Lakers.
With Luka Doncic established as the primary option, the Lakers are seeking consistent support behind him to strengthen their championship hopes. Redick has been working to define player roles and build a stronger team culture, areas where the franchise has struggled in recent years.
Doncic, known for his accomplishments, is considered the vocal leader of the team. With LeBron James now 40 years old and nearing retirement, there is a need for other players to take on leadership responsibilities. Redick specifically called on Reaves to fill that role this season. According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Redick said: “The biggest thing was him taking a step forward as a leader and recognizing that it’s as much his team as it is LeBron’s team or Luka’s team. And acknowledging that he does have innate, natural leadership skills and being able to tap into those more consistently. I told him, he’s out of excuses. You’re no longer the undrafted guy who’s a young player. You’re one of the [main] guys now, and he’s been very responsive to that.”
Redick’s approach has involved empowering players like Reaves to be more vocal. Reaves described his conversation with Redick before the season: “He basically pulled me in and was like, ‘Obviously this isn’t all on you, but take control. Be a leader,’” Reaves told ESPN. “The same talk over and over again was, ‘Your teammates like you,’ which I don’t even know if they actually do, but he just kept telling me. … ‘You kind of just hiding in the back is over. You have to take control and speak up and be a leader of this team.’”
As teams work early in the season to establish their style of play and build chemistry on both ends of the court, these efforts by Redick are intended to lay groundwork for long-term success.
Reaves’ development as a leader comes at an important time for his career since he will soon be eligible for free agency. He has stated that while he wants to remain with the Lakers and values being part of the team’s core group, he does not plan to seek every possible dollar in contract negotiations so that Los Angeles can retain other key players.
