"I wasn't myself": $53,827,872 Lakers guard vows to do better after torrid Game 1 vs T-Wolves

Austin Reaves had a lackluster performance in the LA Lakers’ 117-95 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 on Saturday. Reaves finished the game with 16 points behind 5-for-13 shooting, including 3-for-8 from deep. Reaves also contributed three rebounds and three assists with two turnovers in the blowout loss.

After a scrimmage on Monday, Reaves had this to say about what stood out for him in Game 1:

“I played s**tty. I wasn't myself. To what the reason was, don't know. But just got to go out there and be myself, play my game and have fun doing it."

Reaves, who signed a four-year, $53.8 million deal in July 2023, started the game 0-for-3. The lethargic opening minutes seemed to take him out of his game, and the Timberwolves capitalized by going after him defensively.

Early and often in the second period, the Minnesota Timberwolves hunted for Austin Reaves in the post. When LA Lakers coach JJ Redick decided to play long stretches of center-less basketball, Reaves became a natural target for the Timberwolves’ bruising frontline.

On multiple occasions, Reaves found himself guarding Naz Reid or Julius Randle. LA found it tough to send help defense in the post as the Timberwolves had their stroke from outside going.

Reaves could not make his usual impact in Game 1 but vowed to be much better on Tuesday.

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Will Lakers let Austin Reaves play bully ball against Mike Conley?

The Minnesota Timberwolves wanted to keep Mike Conley off Luka Doncic and LeBron James. They tried to hide the 6-foot veteran guard on defense by putting him on the 6-foot-5 Austin Reaves. The Timberwolves sent their best defenders to shadow Doncic and James whenever possible.

The LA Lakers could capitalize on this strategy by allowing AR to play bully ball against Conley. Reaves can shoot over or dribble past the former All-Star. When needed, he could also play decoy to help set up his team’s offense.

In three regular season games, Austin Reaves averaged 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per contest against Minnesota. He shot 42.5%, including 33.3% from behind the arc, during that stretch.