NBA insider gives Lakers' Austin Reaves wacky comparison following his game winner

Without LeBron James and Luka Dončić, the Los Angeles Lakers have relied heavily on Austin Reaves.

Reaves has responded, though, with a 51-point game, a 41-point game, and most recently, a game-winner against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night.

In the same game, Reaves tied his career-high in assists with 16, finding another way to impact the game other than scoring.

Because of this magnificent run to begin the season, Kenny Smith of Inside the NBA took it upon himself to compare Reaves and Jeremy Lin to each other.

Charles Barkley quickly responded, calling Smith a hater.

To which he responded with “I’m not being a hater, he is having an unbelievable week.”

Sure, Reaves is having a fantastic stretch through their first five games, but he has showcased this skill for much longer than that.

Smith likely thought this comparison was valid because of Lin’s famous ‘Linsanity’ run back in 2012. 

Reaves, however, has been a vital part of the Lakers team for the past few years and is currently in the top five in total points scored this season.

In 38.2 minutes per game this season, Reaves has averaged 34.2 points per game with 10 assists and 5.6 rebounds.

One of the most impressive things about this whole situation is that Reaves went undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft.

Now, this season, he is seizing the opportunity to lead this Lakers team and has joined Jerry West as the only Lakers with 25+ points and 5+ assists in each of the first five games of a season. 

Reaves may be having a legendary run right before our eyes, but he certainly isn’t comparable to Lin.

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