Monday was the start of training camp for most teams across the NBA, and a great deal of the hype is centered on the Milwaukee Bucks, who just welcomed seven-time All-Star guard Damian Lillard to a squad that was already a championship contender.
With Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and several viable role players, the Bucks are considered the best team in the league, at least on paper, and the favorites to win the world championship.
On Sunday, the Boston Celtics responded by trading for star guard Jrue Holiday, adding him to a squad that had already brought in star big man Kristaps Porzingis this summer.
The Los Angeles Lakers are considered by most to be title contenders, but there isn’t a great deal of hype surrounding them right now. Yet, guard Austin Reaves sounded supremely confident about his team on Monday (at 2:43).
Austin Reaves speaks on his first free agency, the experience he gained on Team USA, and playing championship basketball. pic.twitter.com/PZvXg2f4Zq
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) October 2, 2023
“I think we can win a championship,” Reaves said when asked what L.A. can accomplish. “You bring back a core that made a really good run to the Western Conference finals and fall short to the team that won it all, you bring that back but on top of that, you add a lot of guys that can fill voids that we needed last year. Like I said, I feel like we have the most talented roster in the NBA from one to 14, and I stand on that.”
Reaves emerged as a difference-maker last season, and he gradually raised his game and production as the season went on. He is coming off a strong run for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup, and perhaps that will help him make another significant step forward this year.