The Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up the month of March in style, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 127-113. The win ensured JJ Redick’s team ended the month with an impressive 15-2 record.
During his postgame news conference, Redick detailed what has led to such a strong run of games from his squad.
“I think it was a confluence of things, starting with health,” Redick said. “It’s much easier when you have a consistent stretch of health to sort of not even buy in, but settle in to roles, minutes, and rotations. We never found that throughout the season. Another big part of that was the second part of roles is just, you know, guys really just embracing things.”
Redick continued.
“I think, Luka has had as good of a month as anybody that I can remember in modern NBA, at least since I’ve been part of it… He just played phenomenally this month. And then everyone else just had huge impacts. AR getting healthy, LeBron on both ends of the floor, DA and Jackson are really just filling in and doing what they need to do to help this team win at a high level.”
After a stellar run of games, the Lakers sit third in the Western Conference with a 65.8 win percentage. On their current form, they should be seen as good value to be a legitimate threat once the postseason gets underway.
Austin Reaves Is Excited For Lakers Vs. Thunder
During his own postgame news conference, Austin Reaves shared his excitement at facing the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday, April 2. The matchup could be a preview of the Western Conference Finals.
“Very exciting [matchup],” Reaves said. “Obviously, they’re the defending champs. Playing at a high level, obviously, one of the best teams in the league, if not the best team. And we have an opportunity to go into OKC and battle them.”
Reaves has been a reliable contributor for the Lakers this season. In 50 games, he’s averaging 23.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists, shooting 48.9% from the field and 35.7% from deep. If he can stay healthy, along with the rest of the Lakers’ roster, they have a good shot at contending for a spot in the NBA Finals later this season.
Reaves Is Expected To Decline His Player Option
While the current focus for both Reaves and the Lakers will be on maximizing the season and challenging for a championship, his long-term future with the franchise is a subplot hiding beneath the surface.
Reaves has a player option worth $14.8 million for next season. However, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Reaves is expected to opt out of that option and hit unrestricted free agency.
Therefore, the Lakers will likely need to ensure they have enough available cash to retain one of their star players, rather than losing him to a rival with nothing coming back in return.
“They are hoping to remake the roster around Luka Doncic, however, and must factor in Austin Reaves’ upcoming unrestricted free agency,” McMenamin wrote.
Changes feel inevitable this summer, regardless how things play out between now and then.
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