Many are wondering how LeBron James will fit into the Lakers lineup after missing all their games so far this season, but Austin Reaves isn’t worried.
He has been battling sciatica and will be 41 years of age very soon. There are questions around his fitness and if he will upset the balance of the current successful run the team has been on.
In his absence, the Lakers are 10-4 on the season and have pulled together some terrific wins, including their best win of the season against the Bucks.
But Reaves believes that LeBron has been watching the team closely from the sidelines and will be able to pick up right where he left off.
“Yeah, man, I think there’s, we’re still as a whole group trying to, still figure out how to play alongside one another,” Reaves said. “Got some reps at it last year. But like I said, still a whole new team. I would assume that it’s gonna take a little bit to get fully used to. But once again, like I said, after the the Milwaukee game, he’s a student of the game. I’m sure he is been dissecting the game in whatever theory that he has to figure out a way to come back and make it seamless.”
It is clear how much the team has missed having the storied veteran on the team.
“I don’t know if there’s a specific thing, just presence,” Reaves said, via ESPN. “He’s, in my opinion, the greatest player to ever touch basketball. And I guarantee you, if you ask basically our whole team, a lot of the young guys would say he is their favorite player ever. So his presence, his ability to lift up a team and obviously his IQ. Yeah, it’s just, it’s good to have him back.”
Once LeBron steps on the floor, he will become the first player in NBA player to play 23 seasons. Epic.