Austin Reaves did not have an exceptional recent season, but from the LA Lakers, who did? However, Reaves surely showed some improvement. And considering the Lakers have failed to land any major impact players in free agency so far, it’s a real possibility that Austin may have to play an important role next season. Amid such circumstances, even to think Bronny James could play over Reaves seems far-fetched. But it looks like ex-NBA star Jeff Teague wanted to double down on it. 

The discussion on the Club 520 podcast started with co-host Brandon Hendricks addressing criticism against Bronny’s performance in the Summer league. Notably, Bronny scored 4 points on 2-of-9 shooting and 2 assists. Hendricks believes no one even cares about California Classic. And he was not wrong as LeBron James himself does not care much. “What he does in the California Classic and Summer League, it doesn’t matter if he plays well, and it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t play well. I just want him to continue to grow…” Bron told ESPN. 

Jeff Teague added to Hendricks’ thoughts on California Classic, stating nobody cares. “I don’t know why people expect so much. He (Bronny) gonna play G-League, he added. Wells interjected his opinion that even if Bronny does not start in the game, he will get significant playing time. Although Teague believes Bronny will get some sort of appearance in the game, he stated on the podcast ” [Bronny] ain’t going to play over Austin Reeves”.

Moreover, the G-League could easily be an opportunity for the 19-year-old to prove his worth. The ex-USC star had anyway said on being drafted that he didn’t get a chance to prove himself at USC. Now, the G-League can be that chance and players like Avery Bradley have used the G-League experience to prepare themselves for the bigger stage, both mentally and physically.

Why should Austin Reaves retain his spot over Bronny James?  

Even though he did not have an exceptional 2023-24 season, his growth so far in the league has been notable. In his rookie season, Reaves had averaged just 7.3 points with 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists. But by the time his next season ended, he increased his ppg to 13.0, and assists to 3.4. With this, Reaves landed among season’s 10 most improved players and among the top 10 sixth man of the year. 

This growth only furthered in his 2023-24 run with 15.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.5 assists. More importantly, apart from LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Reaves was the only player who showed consistency of sorts in the playoffs against the Nuggets. 

Reaves averaged 16.8 points in the first round of playoffs — slightly higher than a seasoned player like Russell. So it’s possible that the newly appointed head coach could focus on utilizing Reaves’ potential to a greater extent. For Bronny to get a chance at the starting five, the path could be an exceptional performance in the G-League.   

Stay tuned for more such updates. And to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.