Austin Reaves, through his skills, confidence, and competitiveness, has proved himself to be a key player for the Lakers. He has continuously demonstrated that he is a reliable scorer, a skilled defensive player, and above all, a good teammate. Reaves quickly earned the respect and trust of LeBron, who holds him in high regard. Along with his skills and game IQ, Reaves also boasts his tough persona on the court that stems from a competitive and focused mindset.

More than often, it is the perfect means of getting into the opponents’ heads or just having fun in the game. And Austin Reaves knows how to have fun on the court. From doing the “Too small” to Pat Bev to screaming the classic “I’m him!”, Reaves reveals the birth of his on-court “a**hole persona,” in a recent episode of The Old Man and The Three show, hosted by former NBA star JJ Redick.

The white boy snaps back

For Reaves, it came naturally as he puts it. Ever since high school, he has had to deal with being talked down on the court, so it wasn’t difficult for him to channel the “a**hole persona.” Reaves’ confidence was the driving force behind his persona, and he knew he had the skills to back it up. He recalls, “I walk on the court and everybody be like, ‘I got the white boy.’ I’m like, ‘It’s going to be hell. In three possessions your coach is going to ask someone else to come guard me.'”

The 25-year-old youngin from the Lakers has been through it all since he was in school, and he doesn’t find it hard to transition that persona to the big league. “

It’s been like that since I was in high school and I always like I said I’m just real confident in you know the work I put in because obviously you know that’s where it starts,” he says.

Austin Reaves’ response to trash-talk

Speaking of ‘the persona’, we can’t help but recall Reaves’ run-in with opponents from last season’s playoffs semi-finals against the

Grizzlies. When the opponents kept trying to get to his head through their trash-talk, they unlocked a different side of him that wasn’t so pretty. Read More- “We Got to Focus On the Season”: Austin Reaves Urges the Lakers to Focus On Raising a Different Banner After In-Season Victory

The entire team started trash-talking Reaves, and he was not one to engage in that. So he did what he does best and locked into the game, put on his toughest performance, and started taking down defenders left and right. In the end, the Lakers won the game, and he said that it felt good beating them in the playoffs.

Watch This Story- “That’s All I Really Care About Right Now”: Austin Reaves Is Looking To Create a Legacy With Lebron James, Which He Could Look Back at With His Kids

What are your thoughts on the persona Reaves brings to the court? Is it one driven by skills or overconfidence? Share your thoughts!