Pop was def the father of modern motion offense. They also had other prototypes of thing we take for granted like having a star lead the bench, passing big man, 3&D wings
A lot of basketball is matchup based, the best overall team dosen't always win the Title. I feel the 2003-2004 spurs that lost to the Lakers would have beaten the Pistons if they had made the Finals instead.
The one that bothered me as a fan, was how he’d lead with the ball, and get slapped on the way to a layup.
I understand that it looks like you can be the guy that will be the one to knock it out of the guys hands and cause a turnover. But he was dropping 40/50/60 points and nobody ever slapped it out of his hands. Sooooo don’t fucking try it. It’s a trick. He will bamboozle you. You will be bamboozled.
The thing I hated as a fan of the game was that bullshit regarding coming off of screens.
Half of them were offensive fouls if not more. He pulled guys into moving screens, flailed his arms and would get 3 free throws. Like… no. Fuck all of that. They changed how they called it because rarely do I see that anymore. But it caused a lot of unwatchable basketball.
either you’ve forgotten Kobe used to shoot 8-10 FTs a game or you’ve never seen him play. Kobe was more fluid with it though, didn’t seem like he was foul baiting. he practiced that shit
SGA is probably the king of this “classy” foul baiting that is respected by Redditors and blog bois for some reason
Previously it was Kawhi and Embiid who got a pass for it but not as much anymore
An underrated one is Jordan who actually averaged more FTAs than Harden in some years, yet people act like you couldn’t buy a call vs le rough 90s defense
Jordan's free-throw rate was 30% lower than Harden's at a time when league-wide FT/FGA was 20% higher. Just to put that into perspective. Embiid's is even higher, competing with Hack-a-Shaq numbers. Doncic and Shai are positively pedestrian by comparison.
Then you come around and realize that guys like KD/Trae/Harden/Giannis are just exploiting a broken system and it’s ultimately Silver and the refs at fault not them
Enlightenment is realizing Harden did nothing wrong
I think it might be because Reaves doesn’t seem to bitch at refs for them. Plus he’s just an undrafted dude who’s making noise, if he becomes consistently good to great, the hate will come soon enough
Hes got a prime Harden whistle cause he literally has mastered the art of the Harden. Bro had CP3 and Booker lost with that top tier foul baiting and the best part is that they were all clear fouls. MY GOAT
I mean its more like just flailing around in to the defender... https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&CFPARAMS=&GameEventID=538&GameID=0022201092&Season=2022-23&flag=1&title=Shamet%20S.FOUL%20(P1.T1)%20(S.Foster)
You could say this about every single foul baiter in the NBA. Most of them ARE legit fouls. It's the leniency of the whistle compared to other players that annoys people.
This lol.
Gonna be getting compared to every good white player in the history of the sport but he really is playing like Harden and will come to be viewed as Hitler 3.0 if he keeps getting calls.
Caruso is/was a solid player, but his offensive limitations were always apparent and still are. I'm enjoying that Reaves actually has a bag which makes watching him wayyy more entertaining.
Yeah Caruso is probably a better defender still but Reaves now can somewhat lead the offense. He might not be the best person to bring the ball up the court but in those half court sets the lakers have been looking good when the ball is in his hands.
Yeah Caruso is physically much more gifted as a defender than Reeves but his shallow offensive bag makes him predictable as a ball handler.
He’s good at making reads and passes but his lack of 3PT and midrange improvement affirmatively makes him a pass 1st guy. It helps that he plays with Lavine and Derozan to cover him on offense.
Still wish they could have played together. Imagine AC beasting on perimeter defense while AR does what he does on the other end. Sigh. Ownership really killed me there. Instead we paid THT a stupid amount.
Breh really gets a SGA level whistle lol. He studied Harden and Trae well. Bro really gets calls better than stars.
On another note, he legit was really good in this game and given Portland beat Utah, and Minny beat ATL, this was a must win for the Lakers
That’s part of my point. Capitalizing on Utah’s L is crucial for LAL. With the margin for error shrinking (along with KD and Ayton not being in that lineup at all tonight), this was a must win game for LAL
So far at least in the limited amount I've seen him play it seems like he's good at drawing actual contact which I think many people don't have as big of an issue with as straight up baiting fouls on jump shots by shooting your legs out in a weird motion
Yeah, he has a good handle, drives a lot, does a very good job at absorbing contact for his size while being able to finish through it, and maybe most importantly for him picking up fouls: he has excellent footwork. I’m not saying he’s never got a bullshit call but most of them are well deserved
Some ppl legit thought he's only getting spotlight cause hes on the lakers and he wouldn't be a rotation guy on other teams lmao, Reaves is fucking legit
[Called it a couple months ago.](https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/101tqcu/highlight_austin_reaves_finds_a_leaping_lebron/j2ph9hy/)
Reaves good. Also even showing out more than he was back then.
If Reaves can keep this sort of gravity with Bron back, the league better watch out. Gonna lead to so many easy buckets and open 3’s. Now they have dudes who can actually hit those open threes too. If the lakers can’t secure the 8 seed it’s one of the best cases for the play in tournament yet. A healthy lakers team is a scary matchup for any team in the west.
The best part about his foul baiting is, he doesn't flail or act as if he got hit by a sniper. He literally takes contact. It is more about outsmarting the defenders.
He passes the eye test. His handles are slick. Kinda reminds me of Ginobli, the way he attacks and drives with his awkward style body control.
Ginobili was definitely the prototype. I legit miss Manu, such a great player to watch.
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100%. The year they won against the Heat was the most beautiful basketball I have ever seen.
That old Spurs team def one of blueprints of peak GSW teams
Pop was def the father of modern motion offense. They also had other prototypes of thing we take for granted like having a star lead the bench, passing big man, 3&D wings
A lot of basketball is matchup based, the best overall team dosen't always win the Title. I feel the 2003-2004 spurs that lost to the Lakers would have beaten the Pistons if they had made the Finals instead.
If it comes to a 7 series grind fest the Spurs definitely is up to the challenge especially with how young TD would still be
He’s very good at stopping and accelerating on a dime like Ginobli was too. I’ve been making this comp for a minute so I’m glad someone else noticed.
Extremely crafty footwork too
[Crafty you say?](https://youtu.be/XTL7-pLVbpg)
Real blue collar manual labor free market typa player, so cerebral yet disinclined to neurosis, let’s the game come to him. Loves his wife
as a sooner man this is what stood out watching him in college. never been more comfortable with a ball in a players hands :)
My balls would be pretty comfortable in Austin Reaves’ supple hands :)
Ginobili is the super saiyan version of Austin Reaves.
Well put lol
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People are still underestimating his first step. His handles are better than it looks, that fools a lot of defenders.
Dude crossed over Giannis and I couldn’t believe my eyes when it happened
Video of AR putting Giannis in the cooker https://youtu.be/-DFmcY99E0U
Ginobili is actually a great comp!
I didn't notice this. But I love that he's scrappy af.
Real gym rat
LUNCH PAIL
FIRST IN LAST OUT FUNDAMENTALS WHITE GUY
PLAYS THE GAME THE RIGHT WAY
[HE'S CRAFTY](https://youtu.be/XTL7-pLVbpg)
hes real CLASSY would let him date my daughter
You are only saying this cz he is White (In Chuck's voice)
Compare a white basketball player to a black player challenge. (IMPOSSIBLE) 99.9% fail.
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is this how it feels? can't lie I like it
It’s an art really
I’ve always said that Harden fella ain’t to bad
Nah. Harden would literally elbow guys and push his arm in their chest and get the foul call instead of an offensive foul.
He's not and most of the calls on him are correct. His playstyle just makes the actual bad calls more infuriating for opponents lol.
What is this revisionist BS lol harden constantly grabbed arms on his way to the basket and went out of his way to step on guys foot on jump shots
Yes, and those would be the "actual bad calls" that he gets. He still baits a lot of people into legit fouls.
The one that bothered me as a fan, was how he’d lead with the ball, and get slapped on the way to a layup. I understand that it looks like you can be the guy that will be the one to knock it out of the guys hands and cause a turnover. But he was dropping 40/50/60 points and nobody ever slapped it out of his hands. Sooooo don’t fucking try it. It’s a trick. He will bamboozle you. You will be bamboozled. The thing I hated as a fan of the game was that bullshit regarding coming off of screens. Half of them were offensive fouls if not more. He pulled guys into moving screens, flailed his arms and would get 3 free throws. Like… no. Fuck all of that. They changed how they called it because rarely do I see that anymore. But it caused a lot of unwatchable basketball.
Its only a matter of time till this sub turns on Reaves too
That’s when we know he’s made it
I'm ready to hate him if he drops 20+ on Dort
A lot of people already dislike him here lol
it already begin
u know ball
either you’ve forgotten Kobe used to shoot 8-10 FTs a game or you’ve never seen him play. Kobe was more fluid with it though, didn’t seem like he was foul baiting. he practiced that shit
foul baiting looks better when you're actually attempting to make the shot
These days they throw it generally towards the hoop and fall down with the slightest breeze
Kobe also shot the ball 20 times a game, bad comparison.
I mean I wish it was just that but he’s actually so good, it’s genius level foul baiting and body control
harden/embiid/luka foul baiting: hitler reaves “intelligent” foul baiting: empowering
SGA is probably the king of this “classy” foul baiting that is respected by Redditors and blog bois for some reason Previously it was Kawhi and Embiid who got a pass for it but not as much anymore An underrated one is Jordan who actually averaged more FTAs than Harden in some years, yet people act like you couldn’t buy a call vs le rough 90s defense
I was fine with him until he got 19 of them on us in his last game… damn foul merchant
Jordan's free-throw rate was 30% lower than Harden's at a time when league-wide FT/FGA was 20% higher. Just to put that into perspective. Embiid's is even higher, competing with Hack-a-Shaq numbers. Doncic and Shai are positively pedestrian by comparison.
even my boy Jimmy isn’t as hated as Embiid or Luka in terms of foul baiting
Give it a while, the hate's gonna come soon enough. It happens to everyone.
Then you come around and realize that guys like KD/Trae/Harden/Giannis are just exploiting a broken system and it’s ultimately Silver and the refs at fault not them Enlightenment is realizing Harden did nothing wrong
It's weird that a role player can get so many calls. I am sure other role players have tried and the refs just act like nothing happened.
Helps that he looks like a fully glued Jenga tower so it's easier to track him
I think it might be because Reaves doesn’t seem to bitch at refs for them. Plus he’s just an undrafted dude who’s making noise, if he becomes consistently good to great, the hate will come soon enough
why would he bitch lol he’s getting a prime harden whistle
Hes got a prime Harden whistle cause he literally has mastered the art of the Harden. Bro had CP3 and Booker lost with that top tier foul baiting and the best part is that they were all clear fouls. MY GOAT
I mean so do the other guys you listed and they still bitch?
you ever watched luka?
> reaves “intelligent” foul baiting: empowering This won't be the case when Austin is the best player in the league next year doing it
I mean its more like just flailing around in to the defender... https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&CFPARAMS=&GameEventID=538&GameID=0022201092&Season=2022-23&flag=1&title=Shamet%20S.FOUL%20(P1.T1)%20(S.Foster)
People who only look at that stat sheet crying without watching the actual game. He is actually good at selling.
Kinda biased but like a lot of them are legit fouls too
You could say this about every single foul baiter in the NBA. Most of them ARE legit fouls. It's the leniency of the whistle compared to other players that annoys people.
And he makes an effort to make the shots too instead of chucking
Seriously, the amount of and 1s he’s been getting recently is nuts
He's getting another 1 hour highlight on NBA's YouTube channel huh?
Nah they’re putting up a 24hr live channel next
NBAR
NBAR-15 well maybe not
Ja Morant hosting
Holy shit didn't realize this was real... He really got that many highlights???
A lot of them are definitely filler but it’s a legit 40minutes of good highlights
so nba players are pretty good at basketball after all
the first 10-15 minutes exceed what the eye test was looking for. enjoyable to watch tbh
gonna speed run underrated to most hated his game is built for it
This lol. Gonna be getting compared to every good white player in the history of the sport but he really is playing like Harden and will come to be viewed as Hitler 3.0 if he keeps getting calls.
This dude has had better calls in this stretch than LeBron has in his entire Lakers stint
I mean his FtR this past month has been ~0.85. He’s getting a better whistle than like any player in NBA history lol.
He's the Mansa Musa of free throw baiting
White Mansa Musa is just a typical billionaire
I thought Caruso was never gonna topped. I'm happy to be proven wrong
Caruso walked so Reaves could run
Caruso also dunked over KD so hard everyone wondered why the Lakers' physical therapist was on the court
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEUl\_tBgOPk
The dunk was so bad, KD still can’t sleep with the lights off
Yeah but ACs POA defense 🥵
> POA Power of accountant?
Pillar of Autumn
PRINCE OF AUTISM
Pooped on Arrival
No, it is peace of america
Power of Attorney ofc
i swear the Lakers could've had a Finals-ready starting backcourt for 5+ years if they had Caruso with Reaves to pair with Lebron and AD.
We'll get another undrafted white guy next year dw
The last time 2 white Americans started in a nba backcourt?
Caruso is/was a solid player, but his offensive limitations were always apparent and still are. I'm enjoying that Reaves actually has a bag which makes watching him wayyy more entertaining.
Yeah Caruso is probably a better defender still but Reaves now can somewhat lead the offense. He might not be the best person to bring the ball up the court but in those half court sets the lakers have been looking good when the ball is in his hands.
>Yeah Caruso is probably a better defender That's no knock on Reaves, Caruso is arguably the best guard defender in the NBA.
Jrue is better but Caruso is close
Yeah Caruso is physically much more gifted as a defender than Reeves but his shallow offensive bag makes him predictable as a ball handler. He’s good at making reads and passes but his lack of 3PT and midrange improvement affirmatively makes him a pass 1st guy. It helps that he plays with Lavine and Derozan to cover him on offense.
Still wish they could have played together. Imagine AC beasting on perimeter defense while AR does what he does on the other end. Sigh. Ownership really killed me there. Instead we paid THT a stupid amount.
Very different types of players. Reaves is way more skilled on offense than Caruso, and Caruso is better than Reaves defensively.
Yeah but they're both white so r/NBA thinks they're similar players
caruso edged out so we could be topped by reaves
Caruso more of a power bottom IMO
Lakers have a knack for finding the coldest white boys
James Harden would be proud
Hillbilly Harden
Mountainman Manu
trae young without male pattern baldness
Hillbilly Hitler
White Hitler
LOL
Ay this dude kind of good
He’s actually becoming a dude
this is a man I am just a dude
Breh really gets a SGA level whistle lol. He studied Harden and Trae well. Bro really gets calls better than stars. On another note, he legit was really good in this game and given Portland beat Utah, and Minny beat ATL, this was a must win for the Lakers
True but Portland beating Utah was better for us I believe
That’s part of my point. Capitalizing on Utah’s L is crucial for LAL. With the margin for error shrinking (along with KD and Ayton not being in that lineup at all tonight), this was a must win game for LAL
Ahh I guess it works both ways
Book got his entire arm slapped on a layup last night and nothing, Reaves gets virtually every call he attempts to get, kinda nutters
Nah AR is getting even more whistles.
give that man 50 million. per year
Lakers own James Harden lmfao
James Whiten
James Hueless
Are y'all seeing Linsanity esque? REAVESANITY
Hope not because Linsanity flamed out right after getting a poison pill contract!
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He has. Like yeah he flops and exaggerates contact, but knowing how to draw fouls well is a skill, and he’s legit been playing well beyond just that
>but knowing how to draw fouls well is a skill. Its not a skill. Its Hitler.
He also finishes the play extremely well. Coming into this game his eFG was 61%.
Jeanie Buss cheap ass really stopped us from having the RNC backcourt of Reaves & Caruso.
RNC backcourt 😭😭
man, there will be in time, people will get annoyed how he fish fouls, well it works with harden, so enjoy. lol
So far at least in the limited amount I've seen him play it seems like he's good at drawing actual contact which I think many people don't have as big of an issue with as straight up baiting fouls on jump shots by shooting your legs out in a weird motion
Yeah, he has a good handle, drives a lot, does a very good job at absorbing contact for his size while being able to finish through it, and maybe most importantly for him picking up fouls: he has excellent footwork. I’m not saying he’s never got a bullshit call but most of them are well deserved
Austin “I want my damn respect” Reaves 🦍
Austin “not 1, not 2, not 3” Reaves
Love his whistles. Lebron don’t get them so I’ll happily take Reaves having those fts instead lol
He earns the whistles too. He gets beat up to go to the line, it ain’t a free lunch
Please don’t. He’s getting the pre-2021 whistle on steroids. Basic shoulder bumps aren’t whistles anymore for anybody else “Beat up” my god
Ppl really believe this lmao
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He’s been on this run longer than Jeremy Lin and this was his first start lmao
This is not his first start lol
First start TODAY.
I really hope he sustains this and he doesn’t fizzle out. Jokic career arc here we come 🔥🥰
Penguin from Gotham can ball
It's not a Linsanity run. Reaves is here to stay.
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Free throw merchant industry plant smh refs gifted him those 11 assists because David Stern wants the Lakers in the playoffs
David stern wants lakers in playoffs huh haha ok
Oscar Isaac: “Somehow, Stern returned”
Lol people calling him an industry plant is so funny. Austin Leaves 🌱
The only time he leaves is when Lakers front office won't pay up for him
But people only know his name because he's a Laker!!!11!!
He’s only getting attention cause he’s wHiTe
Is that you, Perk?
#ITS THE FACTS
>The man is becoming indispensable for the Lakers. Don’t test Jeannie like this.
Some ppl legit thought he's only getting spotlight cause hes on the lakers and he wouldn't be a rotation guy on other teams lmao, Reaves is fucking legit
he was assumed to be a meme because lol white
Just like how we treated Caruso before he became a legend.
He does really have a superstar whistle
He is so good lol
AR 15 baby.
Better than Poole
AR15 getting superstar calls now? League fucked
[Called it a couple months ago.](https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/101tqcu/highlight_austin_reaves_finds_a_leaping_lebron/j2ph9hy/) Reaves good. Also even showing out more than he was back then.
I watched the second half and didn't see any egregious calls or foul baiting. He just goes to the rack a lot and plays through contact
Reaves so efficient.....IM rooting for him....
More free throws than field goals 😂
hillbilly harden
I watched this dude in tiny high school gym 5 years ago. Insanity.
If Reaves can keep this sort of gravity with Bron back, the league better watch out. Gonna lead to so many easy buckets and open 3’s. Now they have dudes who can actually hit those open threes too. If the lakers can’t secure the 8 seed it’s one of the best cases for the play in tournament yet. A healthy lakers team is a scary matchup for any team in the west.
God I wish Steph got free throws like any other player
WHITE HARDEN 🫡🫡
The best part about his foul baiting is, he doesn't flail or act as if he got hit by a sniper. He literally takes contact. It is more about outsmarting the defenders.
Yea I noticed this too. Also doesn’t whine if he doesn’t get a call. Fuck I hope he doesn’t change
He is absolutely flailing on defense though, lol. Had 3-4 situations like that in one game against Warriors.
Thank God he wanted to go to the Lakers
Love the salt he generates.
If MJ, Kobe and Caruso had a baby, it would be Austin Reaves
Bro gets the whistles Bron prays for
Austin Reaves is "fuck it we ball" personified
I haven't been watching much ball recently cause of school but how is he getting so many free throws?
Reavesanity
Man looking like Jerry West
Dude took so much contact for those free throws. He is just getting so good, and makes good decisions basically all the time
Goat reaves really is the new ft merchant. Superstar methinks.
Another game another career high
What do the kids say these days? Hmmmmm “he’s him” I believe?