The two young guns of the Los Angeles Lakers, Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell, are clearly turning things around in the Western Conference. The Lakers were in deep trouble when James was gone, and Davis was impartially fit. So, AD needed strong support from the younger Lakers, and he got it.
After D’Lo returned to the lineup, he was on fire as he was shooting the three-pointers perfectly. Although the fans were not so sure as Russell came back after a sprained ankle injury and was not very fit himself. But that did not stop D’Lo from helping the team climb up the table. Looks like the newbie Russell has found a good place in his new squad. Not only that, but he has also found a good friend in the name of Austin Reaves.
Reaves And Russell’s Handshake Viral
Nah Dlo and Reaves got one of the coldest handshakes I’ve ever seen pic.twitter.com/xIwLhNCkXH
— 🦉 Lakers Vino (@VinoUncorked) March 30, 2023
Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell were instrumental in the win against the Chicago Bulls. It was a revenge game for the Lakers. In the previous encounter, Patrick Beverley mocked LeBron James with a “too small” celebration. Hence at United Center, Austin Reaves returned the favor as the Lakers went on to beat Bull at their fortress. In that very game, everybody saw Reaves and Russell do a quirky and cold handshake to celebrate. It was another way to mock the former Laker, who in Los Angeles made a couple of gestures to insult the franchise.
Pat made fun of James plus pointed to Shannon Sharpe, a die-hard Lakers fan, that the franchise stinks. It was tough to digest for the young Lakers. Moreover, Austin Reaves is young and spunky. So he did retaliate when he got the chance. Although Reaves, later in the post-match interview, mentioned, “Pat did this to Bron in LA. I was waiting for the right moment. Hence, when the opportunity presented itself, I grabbed it with both hands. But Pat knows I respect him.” Now, Austin and D’Lo need to stay in good shape and perform like they have been doing recently to see the Lakers make the postseason.
Lakers Will Need The Two Guns To Keep Up The Good Form
Austin Reaves has been playing for the Lakers since 2021. But he caught everybody’s attention when he helped the team win against the Magic single-handedly. The Lakers almost won the game against the Mavericks until the last-second brilliance of Kyrie Irving snatched the game away from the LA side. Since then, the two rising stars of the LA franchise have been attracting fans and experts. They have been outstanding. In a recent fan vote, Reaves and Russell got the majority numbers who wanted them to stay with the Lakers for a much longer time.
Both these players will be free agents after the season is over. The Lakers might want to keep them as assets for the future. They could be the next James-Davis duo for the franchise. Both Reaves and Russell started their NBA career with the Los Angeles team. The two young guns have great camaraderie on and off the court. The LA side is currently the 9th seed with a .500 record. Only six games remain the Los Angeles side will need to hold on to a streak. The two games against the Bulls, indeed, have motivated them a lot. The Lakers just need to channel that fire in the next games.
