With LeBron James out indefinitely after a right foot injury, the Los Angeles Lakers are going to need all hands on deck for a little while. They’ll need some players to step up outside of their means.
That happened Thursday night when Austin Reaves dropped 19 points and four assists on the Oklahoma City Thunder in a 123-117 win. But Reaves’ individual performance wasn’t the only place he shined.
As the 19-year-old Max Christie struggled (two points in six minutes), Reaves was seen coaching up Christie courtside. Some people noticed this was an unintentional recreation of the bewildered teaching meme he once had with LeBron James.
Except this time, the student became the teacher:
AUSTIN REAVES COACHING UP MAX CHRISTIE 🔥👏 pic.twitter.com/G2cZoRPJez
— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) March 2, 2023
The mentee becomes the mentor pic.twitter.com/CP4Qt8CitI
— 𝕞𝕒𝕟𝕠 ❄️ (@MANOMAGlC) March 2, 2023
It’s incredible how some things come full circle sometimes.
Just last year, Reaves was a relatively overmatched NBA rookie who started his career on a two-way contract. Now, with one of the best players in history nursing his way back to full health, Reaves is playing a pivotal role for one of the league’s marquee teams. And he’s putting himself back in memes, to boot.
You love to see it.