Wednesday night in Minnesota, the Lakers showed up with a roster that looked more like a patchwork team than an NBA squad. LeBron James and Luka Dončić were out, along with Gabe Vincent, Marcus Smart, Maxi Kleber, and Adou Thiero, basically, half the team was missing. After a rough 122-108 loss to the Blazers on Monday, this game felt like a real test. That’s when Austin Reaves took over. With a calm, decisive runner at the buzzer, he sealed a 116-115 win, pushing the Lakers to a 3-2 record.
Reaves has been on fire this season. Who could forget his 51-point explosion against the Kings? Tonight wasn’t quite that insane, but he still delivered a massive night with 28 points and tied his career-high with 16 assists. The Inside the NBA crew couldn’t stop breaking down his game, and the Jeremy Lin comparisons started buzzing again.
The conversation on Inside the NBA got heated over the Jeremy Lin comparisons for Austin Reaves. Charles Barkley seemed open to the idea, while Shaquille O’Neal pushed back. The debate kicked off when Reaves was dubbed “I am the new Jeremy Lin,” recalling how Lin became a global sensation with “Linsanity” during his time with the Knicks.
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Lin officially retired earlier this year, but the chatter about Reaves kept growing. Shaq wasn’t having it, constantly arguing that the comparison was a bit of a stretch. Chuck even jumped in, telling him, “Now stop it Shaq. Stop being a hater.”
(This is a developing story…)