Lakers guard Austin Reaves did not look for cover after a difficult night against the Golden State Warriors. He turned the ball over eight times, shot 9-for-19 from the field and posted a plus-minus of -13, the worst among the Los Angeles starters. His assessment was blunt: «I was terrible again. That's it.»
Reaves was not the only reason the Lakers collapsed. The team surrendered a 25-point first-half lead and lost by double digits in San Francisco. Still, as a player on a superstar-level contract, Reaves drew scrutiny for the second unit's performance, and he accepted that responsibility rather than deflecting it. Silver Screen and Roll noted that he has built his reputation on owning his bad games, and the outlet described his candor as fair given the stat line.
The pattern in the rotation was clear. When Luka Dončić was on the floor, the Lakers played well, largely because of him. When he sat, the Lakers struggled, and Reaves was at the center of those stretches. Many of the players in those non-Dončić groups joined the team this offseason, and the lack of chemistry is a plausible explanation for the drop-off. Reaves, however, did not use that as an excuse.
«It's real, but that doesn't give that second unit an excuse to be pretty terrible,» Reaves said. «And that starts with me. I'll watch the film and try to be better. But you have to learn on the fly and pick up things quickly. As I said, I have to be better to start that.»
The situation is also new for Reaves. In past seasons he has often run second units alongside LeBron James, but this year he is leading those groups without Dončić on the floor. Opponents have adjusted their scouting, and the approach described in coverage is to send doubles at Reaves on ball screens and try to overwhelm him physically into turnovers. Reaves has said he intends to answer with better decisions and a stronger counter, and his response will determine how quickly the unit finds its footing.
Yahoo Sports reported that Lakers head coach JJ Redick has also addressed Reaves's struggles in the days since the game, and framed the performance as a nightmare turnover game against Golden State. The Lakers return to action with a second unit still searching for chemistry, and Reaves has made clear that he expects to be part of the fix.