Austin Reaves aims to steal strategies from Team USA stars to elevate LA Lakers

Austin Reaves is looking to make the most out of his stint with Team USA at the upcoming 2023 FIBA World Cup in the Philippines. Reaves jokingly explained why it's a great opportunity to play for the United States and how it would help him and the LA Lakers.

In an interview with Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times, Reaves discussed his surprise inclusion in the Team USA roster for the World Cup. He said that he's happy to get selected and that he would use the experience to help his team next season:

"It's a good opportunity to learn from a lot of guys, a lot of coaches and kinda steal what they do and go give it back to the Lakers," Reaves said.

Austin Reaves will undoubtedly learn from Team USA's coaching staff comprised of some of the best coaches in the world. The team's head coach is Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors.

Kerr's assistant coaches include Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat, Tyronn Lue of the LA Clippers and Mark Few of Gonzaga University. Kerr, Spoelstra and Lue are three of the top coaches in the NBA, while Few is one of the very best minds in college basketball.

The 25-year-old guard will also try to change the narrative about him being an underdog. Reaves already proved himself in the playoffs last season when he was the LA Lakers' third-best player, behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

That earned him a four-year, $54 million deal from the Lakers this offseason. Reaves added:

"It's kind of really been my whole life, me proving that I'm capable of doing things and then having to re-prove it again.

"And it's been repetitive my whole life, something I talked to my agents about multiple times, even this past year. Like, was it ever going to change? Just because it happened so much to me."

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Austin Reaves to play a major role for Team USA

Austin Reaves at the 2023 FIBA World Cup - USA Men's National Team vs Puerto Rico

Some people were baffled when Austin Reaves was included in Team USA's 12-man roster for the 2023 FIBA World Cup. However, Reaves has proved in the last three games that he could play a major role for the Americans in the upcoming tournament in the Philippines.

In Team USA's win over Puerto Rico, Reaves scored nine points off the bench in the first half to give his team some boost. He then ended with 10 points in their win over Slovenia before tallying 11 points against Spain on Sunday.