A major change under JJ Redick will benefit the Lakers

Going into last season, there were high expectations for Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves and whether he could make another leap into becoming the team's third star. While Reaves certainly had the best full season of his career, some may have found it a bit disappointing in some aspects.

But since JJ Redick was hired as the Lakers' new head coach, Reaves has been highly valued and is expected to play an increased offensive role this year. And while the guard is certainly ready to take on that role, he's more focused on the overall win.

“I think it's just me being myself and having the opportunity to do that,” Reaves said of what his new role might entail. “But at the end of the day, the only thing that counts is the win. I feel like we have several guys that can win us games, so one night it might be me, one night it might be D-Lo, obviously Bron and AD will always be who they are.

“But like I said, I feel like we have several guys that can win our basketball games. That's why we all have to be selfless in every way, just to win, to come together as one. Like I said, whoever it is that night, every night it’s going to be someone different, so I’m really just here to do what’s asked and try to win games.”

The Lakers certainly have several players who can take over games and really lead the team to victory, as Reaves noted. But last season it often felt like there was a lack of strategy and game plan, and while Reaves will benefit from what Redick brings to the table, he believes these new structures will benefit the entire Lakers team.

“It’s not even really just for me,” Reaves added. “I just think the whole structure and foundation that these coaches have put in place for us and talked to everyone is a great start because I feel like last year we won a lot of games a lot of times with talent and if you Talent.” If you take care of the structure, you have the opportunity to do something very special. So I don’t think it necessarily matters to me or not, I just think everything they came in and talked about makes sense to me for our entire collective group.”

Ultimately, it comes down to putting players in the best positions to succeed, and Redick plans to do that for Reaves, which should be of great benefit to the Lakers next season.

Rob Pelinka believes Austin Reaves can make a similar leap to Jalen Brunson

Someone other than JJ Redick who has a lot of value in Austin Reaves is Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka. He spoke about Reaves in a recent interview and may have high expectations for the guard.

Pelinka noted that during offseason drills at the Lakers training facility, he noticed an increased confidence in Reaves with the ball in his hands. The general manager pointed to the jump that New York Knicks star guard Jalen Brunson has made in recent years as a possible outcome for Reaves.

Pelinka quickly added that it wasn't his intention to compare the two, nor did he want to place such high expectations on Reaves, but he sees similarities in their mentalities and is excited to see what's in store for the Lakers guard.

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