All season long, Austin Reaves has drawn rave reviews from his Lakers teammates. Not for his play on the court (or at least not always), and not for being among the league leaders in net rating (although for an undrafted rookie, that’s impressive too).
No, it’s a different quality of Reaves’ that has impressed his veteran teammates most: His willingness to get hit in the face.
“He’s been hit in the face more than any rookie in the league I’m sure,” former Lakers guard Rajon Rondo noticed all the way back in training camp.