Reaves has addressed a number of weaknesses in his game through his first two seasons, a part of his meteoric rise undoubtedly. He significantly improved his outside shot between his rookie and sophomore seasons while increasing volume. He became a better ball-handler and passer while bulking up to provide a boost defensively.

One flaw that still remains is his availability. Minor injuries and a rookie wall in his first two seasons limited him to 61 and 64 games, respectively. And while that is still around 75% of the Lakers’ regular season games, he has made it a point to improve in this realm as well.

Reaves has a lofty goal for the 2023-24 season when it comes to his availability, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic:

One of Reaves’ goals going into next season is to play 82 games for the first time. After hitting a wall midway through his rookie season, he trained hard last summer to be better prepared for his sophomore year. Even so, he appeared to run out of gas at times during the playoffs — most notably between the end of an opening-round series against Memphis and the beginning of a second-round series against Golden State.

He is working with the Lakers’ strength and conditioning team this offseason — including throughout his time abroad with Team USA — to better handle his increasing workload. He also is working to sharpen his ballhandling and playmaking as he prepares to run more of the offense next season. Reaves can shift between either backcourt spot, but says, “I want to get back to playing point guard a little more and what we did at the end of the year. I feel comfortable and like I’m able to do that.”

In his rookie campaign, Reaves missed stretch of 10 and seven games for the bulk of his absent time while missing a handful of games here and there. Last season, 16 of Reaves’ 18 missed games came due to one injury. So improved strength and conditioning could be the only barrier between Reaves and an 82-game campaign.

Playing every game would not only be a huge benefit to the Lakers, who are built around two players likely to miss time, but it would also be beneficial to Reaves’ All-Star candidacy.

Reaves never stopped believing in himself

Despite going undrafted, Reaves never lost faith in his ability to produce at the highest level. The third-year Lakers guard says he was not surprised by his ascension because he always felt it was possible for him. Nothing changed when his name was not called on draft night.

Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham already went out on a limb with Reaves to say that his third season could see him land his first All-Star selection. It’s a bold claim — the type of claim Ham is known for with his players — but one that may not be too far away from reality.

Reaves was an efficient and effective scorer at three levels last season, played quality defense and fought through a wall in the middle of the season to post legitimate NBA starter-level numbers in a deep postseason run. There’s not much more to be asked of a potential All-Star candidate.

And it appears Reaves might agree with Ham’s sentiment, as the Team USA and Lakers guard believes that an All-Star selection could be in the cards for him sooner rather than later, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic:

“I personally think it’s possible just for myself,” he said. “There’s probably not many people out there that do.”

Reaves is still fighting the burden of draft day bias. Oftentimes, when a player is drafted could determine the way they’re viewed on a national scale, the number of chances they get to prove themselves, and what they have to accomplish to be seen as an All-Star.

There’s no doubt that being an undrafted rookie is giving Reaves a harder starting point. But going from undrafted to All-Star is not completely unprecedented.

Five players in NBA history have made that leap: Connie Hawkins, John Starks, Brad Miller, Ben Wallace and Fred VanVleet. If Reaves wants to become the sixth, he’ll have to hit the ground running when he returns for his third season, likely now as a full-time starter in the Lakers lineup.

Reaves ‘much better than expected’ with Team USA

Until he gets the All-Star appearance he’s seeking, he still has some work to do to prove himself on a national scale. He has helped himself tremendously with his performance for Team USA at the World Cup. He has already garnered some attention, with some reportedly saying that he’s been the surprise of the roster with how well he’s played.

Thomas — who found himself playing for the Lakers later in his career — had the prime of his career over a two-year stretch in Boston. He was an All-Star in 2015-16, Bryant’s final season, and 2016-17 and made the All-NBA Second Team in the latter year. He helped lead the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals that season, when they ultimately fell to LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers.

But throughout the entirety of the season, Thomas received help from Bryant. Not just on his own game and becoming an undersized scorer that averaged 28.9 points per game, but also helped him to become a better teammate that got the most out of his guys.

Thomas spoke about the kind of mentorship Bryant provided during his All-NBA campaign and what it did for the team and his career, via Gil’s Arena:

“Kobe, the one thing he gave me. To get the guys that aren’t as good as you to follow you, you have to teach them the way. Like I didn’t really understand that at first. So obviously, he talked to me a lot about being a killer and being great, but what resonated with me the most was getting your guys — you say my team wasn’t really that good — getting those guys to figure out where you are mentally. So however the world thought they were, I was able tog et them to believe they were just like me. Kobe would watch film with me and I would ask him how do I get them to get to the mindset that I have. And he said that I have to sit down and watch film with them, and that their mind has to be where my mind is when I watch film. And we watched film in that playoffs that year.

“I used to watch film to see where I could score, but seeing sh-t before it happened, setting back screens. I remember he sent me clips of Steph Curry, John Stockton, Larry Bird and one other guy about back picks. And when I started setting back picks it started opening things up for me. And I didn’t even know it, guys were denying me and I was spending so much energy trying to get open. We were down 2-0 against the Bulls, they were the No. 8 seed and we were the No. 1 seed. And we watched every single possession from Game to Game 2, it took five hours. I had my video guys send it to him, and that was right around when he started doing that Detail show — I feel like I’m part of the reason he started that — and he would send back clips of how I did certain things and it opened up the whole game for me.”

Bryant has had an impact on many players throughout his career and in the years since, but it seems Thomas was one of the players he impacted the most. The guard elevated his game from good to elite with Bryant’s help and became a player capable of elevating an entire team in the process.

Bryant’s mark on the game of basketball is immeasurable, but it begins with stories like this, where a team like the 2016-17 Celtics exceeded expectations on the back of his advice.

Pau Gasol: Bryant played pivotal role in Hall of Fame induction

Bryant recently received more credit for his work to elevate those around him when his teammate Pau Gasol was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Gasol said that Bryant played a pivotal role in his induction, and while he remains sad that Bryant and his daughter Gianna could not be in attendance at the ceremony, he is grateful for the relationship he’s maintained with Vanessa Bryant and her three daughters.

Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!

Now, that pick teams up with Davis — potentially in the starting lineup — to help bring the Lakers their 18th championship in franchise history. But first, Lakers fans must get introduced to Hayes and the kind of player he is and can be in L.A.

Hayes showed the type of player he can be with an extremely early flash against one of the NBA’s best players — Stephen Curry — in his very first game as a pro, he recounted via the Lakers:

“My favorite NBA memory would probably be my first ever stat or anything in my first game. We were playing the Warriors, I checked in the game and five seconds later I blocked Steph Curry and that was probably my favorite NBA memory.”

Despite the smaller stature, Curry may be one of the hardest players to block in the league. His high arc jumper, elite quickness and touch around the rim make him difficult for opposing centers to keep track of.

It would certainly feel like an accomplishment for any player to block Curry, who has firmly cemented himself as one of the best players in league history. But to do so in his first NBA action makes it all the more impressive.

Hayes should have plenty more chance to block Curry as he is now a member of the pacific division. The Lakers will see the Warriors four times this season, on Jan. 27 and Feb. 22, 2024 in San Francisco and on March 16 and April 9, 2024 in L.A.

Lakers schedule released

The 82-game schedules for each NBA team were released on Thursday and, as is the standard, the Lakers find themselves with 40 nationally televised matchups for the season. They open the season with a Western Conference Finals rematch against the Denver Nuggets and play the Phoenix Suns, Memphis Grizzlies, Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz in the group stage of the first ever In-Season Tournament.

Some other marquee home games include Christmas Day against the Boston Celtics, Oct. 26 against the Suns for the home opener and Martin Luther King Jr. Day against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!

But beyond his legacy on the court, Gasol has built an equally strong legacy off of it. He has done meaningful work in the community, built long-lasting friendships and, most notably, formed a lifelong bond with Kobe Bryant and his family. That relationship transcends the tragic passing of Bryant and his daughter Gianna in 2020, as he continues to be family to Vanessa Bryant and her three daughters.

So, in typical Gasol fashion, he used his Hall of Fame induction speech to spread a more important message about being a good human and making a positive impact on a world that has been very good to him.

“To whom much is given, much is required. I truly believe it,” Gasol said. “Those values, the pursuit of excellence, the drive to succeed, the love of family, the recognition to give back, the power of empathy: instilled by my parents, both working in healthcare, honed by Kobe, always wanting to be extraordinary and epic; and encouraged and supported by my beautiful wife and family. They’re the reason I’m committed to working to make a bigger difference in our world. And I want to encourage you all to continue to find ways to join efforts, to team up, so our impact can be much larger. We have a unique opportunity to do so. Thank you all very much. Muchas gracias.”

Gasol’s game reflects the kind of person he is. While he shines simply by playing the game the way he does, he had a unique ability to lift up those around him and elevate the way others played.

He is living his life in the exact same way. Gasol has long been lauded for his kindness and selflessness off the court by just about anyone who has come into contact with him.

Gasol puts Nowitzki, Garnett and Duncan in top 10

During his Hall of Fame availability, Gasol was asked to name his top 10 players of all time. He took the opportunity to shine a spotlight on three players who he believes helped him get to where he is now. Those three are Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan.

He said that those three power forwards not only inspired some of what he did with their style of play, but they also pushed him to be better by their level of play.

Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!