Under JJ Redick’s leadership, the Los Angeles Lakers have found what they needed most in 2025: consistency. LeBron James continues to shine, contributing on both ends of the floor while maintaining peak form. Austin Reaves has also stepped up, proving to be one of the team’s most reliable players. Despite a tough loss to the Utah Jazz, the Lakers remain highly competitive in the Western Conference. After the game, Reaves reflected on the team’s performance.
“We’re in a great spot. We’ve been playing really great basketball other than tonight was a slip up. But you have those and I feel like we’re in a really good spot,” stated Austin Reaves on Spectrum SportsNet.
The Lakers are in great shape and Reaves recognizes that. Even though they lost the last game against the Utah Jazz, they had already accumulated 6 consecutive victories. All this in the midst of Anthony Davis’ departure from the team and what that means for the scheme.
The Lakers’ consistency this 2025 has been admirable. Despite going through some negative moments, they have managed to get back on track. Avoiding falling into a bad dynamic that would take the team out of the fight for a spot in the NBA playoffs.
Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts during the second quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena on October 22, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
Although the playoff picture is still taking shape, the Lakers have climbed to 5th place in the Western Conference standings. Their strong results position them as serious contenders for the NBA championship.
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Austin Reaves reflects on Lakers’ tough loss to Utah Jazz
Despite Reaves’ words, he was able to self-critically acknowledge the mistakes that led to his team’s loss to the Utah Jazz: “I just didn’t think we were connected on the defensive end, we had a lot of blown coverages.”
Despite the great winning streak, the Lakers’ defense has not been able to stabilize as it used to be. Reaves and LeBron now have the load that Anthony Davis used to have. It causes that at times lack of concentration pop up such as the previous game that led to the first three quarters being lost by very little.
