Austin Reaves: Defending Steph Curry Is ‘Honestly Hell’ in Lakers vs. Warriors Games | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
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Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves was brutally honest Wednesday when asked what it is like to defend Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry.
During an appearance on Showtime’s All The Smoke, Reaves said guarding Curry is “honestly hell,” which elicited laughter from hosts and former NBA players Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes:
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Reaves praised Curry’s movement without the ball and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr’s offensive system before recalling the difficulties of keeping up with the Dubs during the second round of the playoffs last season.
The 25-year-old sharpshooter said he couldn’t make a shot in Games 1 and 2 of the playoff series against Golden State because he had “no legs” after chasing around Curry and Klay Thompson on defense.
Reaves went on to call Curry a “special” player and said it was “a lot of fun” going up against one of the all-time greats and a team that has won four championships since 2015.
Curry is widely regarded as the greatest shooter in NBA history by virtue of shooting 42.8 percent from beyond the arc during his career and holding the all-time record with 3,390 three-pointers made.
That, along with his nine All-Star selections, four championships, two NBA MVP awards and one NBA Finals MVP award, makes him a surefire future Hall of Famer.
Meanwhile, Reaves is still getting his feet wet at the NBA level, although he is coming off a hugely successful second season, averaging 13.0 points, 3.4 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game in 2022-23.
He was even better in the playoffs, averaging 16.9 points, 4.6 assists and 4.4 rebounds for a Lakers team that went all the way to the Western Conference Finals.
That was enough to earn Reaves a new four-year, $53.8 million contract with the Lakers, meaning he will likely be thrust into even more high-pressure situations moving forward, including defending the league’s top stars like Curry.
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