"Show Some Respect" - NBA Fans Rage As $22M Analyst Dubs Austin Reaves "The New Jeremy Lin" After Huge Week in Absence of LeBron James & Luka Doncic

NBA fans are not happy with $22 million analyst Kenny “The Jet” Smith after he compared the LA Lakers’ Austin Reaves to Jeremy Lin. Reaves is off to a phenomenal start this season, averaging 34.2 points, 10 assists and 5.6 rebounds through five games, shooting 52.5%.

He recorded a career-high 51 points against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, and followed it up with 41 points in a loss against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday.

Reaves kept it rolling on Wednesday, finishing with 28 points and 16 assists, including a buzzer-beating game-winner against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

On Wednesday, Kenny Smith compared Reaves’ outburst to Jeremy Lin, drawing a parallel between his productive week and “Linsanity,” which refers to a period in 2012 where Jeremy Lin rose to stardom following a stellar 10-game stretch for the New York Knicks. Reacting to a replay of Reaves' game-winner, Smith jokingly said:

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“I am the new Jeremy Lin.”

Fans were understandably unhappy with the comparison and came to Reaves’ defense. Some fans defended Reaves at the expense of Lin, citing the difference in quality between the players.

Meanwhile, others criticized the Inside the NBA analyst, saying he should “show some respect.” Here are the most noteworthy reactions:

“I think it's actually embarrassing that a high profile analyst can say something like this. It's actually disrespectful for real. My guy, AR is better than you ever were, show some respect. Yuck,” a fan said. “What lol? He's in his 5th season. He's already started 26 playoff games,” another fan noted. “He averaged 20 last year what the f*** are you talking about Kenny?” one fan asked. “Kenny's a bum for that,” a fan opined. “‘Why are you being so sensitive?’ They aren’t Kenny, you’re being sensitive after they called you out for a bad comp,” wrote one fan.

Fans react to Kenny Smith comparing Austin Reaves to Jeremy Lin

While Austin Reaves' scoring outburst deserves recognition, it isn't hard to see how a comparison with Jeremy Lin can be disrespectful.

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"Everybody get back": Austin Reaves' hilarious plea to LeBron James and Luka Doncic

While fans are enjoying Austin Reaves' explosion with the Lakers, the guard himself can't wait for LeBron James and Luka Doncic's return to the court. Speaking to the media after Wednesday's game, Reaves made a hilarious plea to his teammates:

"Get back, my brother (Luka Doncic), and LeBron. Everybody get back.”

While James isn't expected to return before mid-November, Doncic could return next week. Meanwhile, LA will prepare to face the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.

Edited by Sameer Khan