Austin Reaves-JJ Redick friendship key piece to Lakers puzzle

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves.

LeBron James isn't the only Lakers player JJ Redick has strong ties to. Fourth-year guard Austin Reaves, once a guest on the new Lakers coach's podcast, has never hidden that he and Redick are friends.

Over the weekend, Reaves called Redick "a basketball genius" while expressing his excitement to share the locker room with him. He revealed Redick had already requested to "get on a call" to discuss strategies.

"I just can't wait to put our brains together and go and have a good year," Reaves said.

The praise goes both ways.

Redick has spoken glowingly of Reaves on his podcast several times. During the 2022-23 season, the Duke alum picked Reaves as his breakout star of the year, praising the Lakers guard's intangibles and IQ.

"He competes every night. Winning and losing matters to him," Redick said of Reaves.

Reaves didn't take the leap in 2023-24 that Redick and others predicted, improving his scoring marginally (13 to 15.9) despite attempting 3.8 more shots per game. His playmaking saw a surge (3.4 to 5.5 assists) but his defense made him unplayable at times in the playoffs against the Nuggets.

Perhaps Redick could unlock Reaves' potential.

Soon after Redick was announced as Lakers coach, an old clip from 2022 surfaced in which he spoke about his reason for entering coaching.

"I look at coaching as a way to help," Redick told Bleacher Report. "I had so many people help me in my career, and they hold such a valuable place in my heart. I'd love to be one of those people one day."

If he can assist in Reaves taking the leap, Redick will be on his way.

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