Austin Reaves is preparing for a bigger role with the Lakers, while carrying an important lesson he learned during five seasons alongside LeBron James.
Reaves said watching James showed him how much work is required to stay healthy and perform consistently throughout an NBA season.
“One of the biggest things I learned from LeBron was what he did every single day to give [himself] the opportunity to still play this game at the highest level,” the guard said.
“There’s a lot more that goes into it than the casual fan sees. You have to do more every single day, especially the older you get. He’s a perfect example of that.”
With James now in Philadelphia, Reaves has become the Lakers’ longest-tenured player and is expected to have a major role alongside Luka Doncic.
He has also hired former Lakers strength and conditioning coach Ed Streit as his personal trainer.
“I’ve had a really good summer,” Reaves said. “Put myself in a really good spot going into this year.”
Staying healthy will be important after Reaves played a career-low 51 games last season because of calf and oblique injuries.
He returned during the playoffs and averaged 20 points, 5.8 assists and 4.0 rebounds.
After signing a four-year, $180 million contract, the 28-year-old will look to improve his durability as he takes on greater responsibility in Los Angeles.
