WEBVTT - An Unsung Hero Is Emerging In LA

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<v Speaker 1>Let's talk about Austin Reeves because it's I think it's

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<v Speaker 1>well passed when we should have mentioned him. It really

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<v Speaker 1>has been coming since last year. This is the guy

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<v Speaker 1>that's made Laker fans stop crying about losing Alex crew

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<v Speaker 1>so pretty much overnight. He's been on a tear ever

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<v Speaker 1>since returning from injury. Laker Austin Reeves, undrafted free agent

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<v Speaker 1>Austin Reeves. They call him what I call him, like

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<v Speaker 1>the the Hicck, Kobe Bryant or something like that. It's crazy.

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<v Speaker 1>In his last nine games, Austin Reeves is averaging twenty

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<v Speaker 1>four and six thirty eight percent from three and an

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<v Speaker 1>average plus minus of ten point eight. That is sick.

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<v Speaker 1>To just get him off the street and for him

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<v Speaker 1>to contribute like this is insane. Better Yet, though the

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<v Speaker 1>Lakers are eleven and eight since Reeves came back from injury,

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<v Speaker 1>they are eight and ten in games he's missed so

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<v Speaker 1>far this year. Doesn't feel like a lot until you

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<v Speaker 1>realize that a fifty eight percent winning percentage would with him,

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<v Speaker 1>which is where they're playing with him in the lineup,

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<v Speaker 1>would put them squarely in fourth place in the West.

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<v Speaker 1>Right now, looking at a home series in the playoffs

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<v Speaker 1>at Crypto dot com arena. I don't know. Could Austin

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<v Speaker 1>Reeves be the new player to build around on the

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<v Speaker 1>Los Angeles Lakers? Could he be the Lakers' most important piece?

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know. I'm not saying he's is. I'm not

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<v Speaker 1>saying he's not. But he is getting He is scoring

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<v Speaker 1>like a super score star, and he is getting superstar calls.

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<v Speaker 1>In the last last four games, Austin Reeves has gone

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<v Speaker 1>through the line twenty three times. Is this man Lebron James?

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<v Speaker 1>Is this man Kevin Durant? Who in their right mind

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<v Speaker 1>would make that script up where the undrafted free agent

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<v Speaker 1>is getting more superstar calls? Then? I don't know. Steph Curry.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's look at Steph Curry, all right, So last four games,

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<v Speaker 1>Austin Reeves has gone to line fifty three times. Steph

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<v Speaker 1>Curry twelve times in his last four games. For comparison,

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<v Speaker 1>our guy Sam SPINDIARRII from The Light Years podcast, tweeted

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<v Speaker 1>this out. Curry forty five drives, two free throw attempts,

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<v Speaker 1>Austin Reeves fifty drives, sixteen free throw attempts. Curry passed

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<v Speaker 1>sixteen times on those drives. Reeves passed seventeen times out

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<v Speaker 1>of those drives. So, in other words, Austin Reeves right

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<v Speaker 1>now is getting superstar calls from the refs. As an

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<v Speaker 1>undrafted free agent, he is going to align an average

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<v Speaker 1>of thirteen times per game. Joe l. Embiid currently leads

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<v Speaker 1>the league in free throw attempts at ten per game.

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<v Speaker 1>Austin Reeves is getting better calls a better whistle than

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<v Speaker 1>Joel Embiid is the sane. Yes, he gets more offensive calls,

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<v Speaker 1>plays call for him when Lebron is out. Of course,

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<v Speaker 1>he's averaging nine and a half points per game when

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<v Speaker 1>Lebron is playing and sixteen points per game when Lebron

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<v Speaker 1>is out, But that does not diminish what our hill

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<v Speaker 1>Billy Kobe has been up to this season. He has

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<v Speaker 1>got been nearly the same winning percentage as Lebron has

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<v Speaker 1>when he plays the season five oh nine winning percentage

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<v Speaker 1>versus Broun's five to eleven winning percentage. The Lakers win

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<v Speaker 1>pretty much in every scenario with Austin Reeves. Austin Reeves

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<v Speaker 1>in total is twenty eight and twenty seven. Reeves without

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<v Speaker 1>Braun is twelve and eleven. Reeves without ad is seven

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<v Speaker 1>and six, Reeves withd lo Is seven and four, Reeves

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<v Speaker 1>with Vanderbilt eleven and six. If you look at Austin

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<v Speaker 1>Reeves completely for the year, he has a plus one

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<v Speaker 1>oh seven for the season. That's top fifty. This man,

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<v Speaker 1>this man is called the hill Billy Kobe. That's top fifty.

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<v Speaker 1>If we redrafted. I thought about this. I went to

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<v Speaker 1>the twenty twenty one draft, which is the year that

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<v Speaker 1>Austin Reeves was eligibly drafted but not drafted. If you

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<v Speaker 1>look at it, which was a loaded draft. By the way,

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<v Speaker 1>he probably is a mid first rounder in one of

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<v Speaker 1>the most stack drafts in history, where you're going over.

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<v Speaker 1>He probably gets drafted over. Jalen Suggs, probably gets drafted over,

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<v Speaker 1>Zier Williams, James Booknight, Josh Primo, Chris Darte, Moses Moody,

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<v Speaker 1>Moses Mody, Corey Kisbert, maybe Davion Mitchell. That's crazy. So

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<v Speaker 1>the Lakers live or die not with ad or Lebron,

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<v Speaker 1>but rather a twenty four year old undrafted kid from

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<v Speaker 1>the Haulers of Arkansas, the NBA's Western Conference. It's just

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<v Speaker 1>very weird right now. It's very strange in the West.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know what's going on. Scriptwriters are on drugs.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's move on. Kitty Cat. Kitty Cat is back. Karl

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<v Speaker 1>Anthony Towns makes his return last night after missing a

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<v Speaker 1>total of fifty two games. Fifty two games is how

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<v Speaker 1>long ago he went down. Time goes fast in the NBA,

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<v Speaker 1>So there was a lot of drama about how bad

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<v Speaker 1>the injury was. As you guys know, it was a

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<v Speaker 1>Grade three calf strain, but the Wolves tried to downplay it.

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<v Speaker 1>They said it was a Grade two calf strain. But

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<v Speaker 1>he's finally back. Chris Finch put the ball in Karl

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<v Speaker 1>Anthony's Towns hands against the Hawks with three point one

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<v Speaker 1>seconds left, and I'll be damned it worked. Karl Anthony

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<v Speaker 1>Towns ends up going to the free throw line, pulling

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<v Speaker 1>off a one twenty five four victory over Atlanta, which

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<v Speaker 1>I thought that they would lose. He had twenty two

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<v Speaker 1>four and three, He had two steals. Played very well

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<v Speaker 1>within himself for a first game back. But more importantly,

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<v Speaker 1>the Wolves need somebody that they can rely on at

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<v Speaker 1>the end of games, because boy oh boy, they are

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<v Speaker 1>teeter tottering looking from the outside. In eight games left,

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<v Speaker 1>more than enough time for Karl Anthony Towns to shake

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<v Speaker 1>off the rest. But with Anthony Edwards out with an

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<v Speaker 1>ankle injury, man, the Wolves are not healthy. If they

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<v Speaker 1>could get aunt Man back in time, maybe they're dangerous

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<v Speaker 1>in the playoffs. Remember they did take the Memphis Grizzlies

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<v Speaker 1>into a very very tough series. Gonna be fun to watch.

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<v Speaker 1>Not a lot of falter all about Carl Anthony Towns back.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm happy to see him on the court again until

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<v Speaker 1>the offseason, when, of course you'll see trade rumors heating

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<v Speaker 1>up where he'll play in twenty twenty three, twenty twenty four,

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<v Speaker 1>because most likely the Wolves I think will move him.

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<v Speaker 1>But shout out to Karl Anthony Towns coming back into

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<v Speaker 1>the lineup. Shout out to Karl Anthony Towns doing something

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<v Speaker 1>in a late game scenario, even if it is the

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<v Speaker 1>regular season, and the regular season doesn't matter whatsoever. Moving

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<v Speaker 1>on Shaden Sharp, So I think people downplay this man.

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<v Speaker 1>People are slandering Shadon Sharp's name for no reason. Yes,

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<v Speaker 1>he is not a Rookie of the Year candidate. Yes

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<v Speaker 1>he's not as good right now as Powell Ben Caro

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<v Speaker 1>or Benedict Matherin or even Jalen Williams, but man last

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<v Speaker 1>night best game of his young career. Six start, forty minutes.

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<v Speaker 1>He was a plus twenty eight. But here's the thing

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<v Speaker 1>that was more exciting. Twenty four to nine and three

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<v Speaker 1>nine rebounds. That's ridiculous. Twenty four nine rebounds, three assists

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<v Speaker 1>and four steals for Shandon Sharp. That's a nineteen year

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<v Speaker 1>old kid just putting up buckets, beating a Utah Jazz team.

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<v Speaker 1>That is very tough, very tough. I think right now,

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<v Speaker 1>this Shade Sharp performance, to me, he's only no trade

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<v Speaker 1>list Blazers are a tanking team. They are not going anywhere.

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<v Speaker 1>They need another star, and you know what in order

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<v Speaker 1>to get another star or not trading Shadon, that's it.

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<v Speaker 1>Not for ogn Andobi, not for Pascal Siakam, not for

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<v Speaker 1>Andrew Wiggins, no one. I think right now you're looking

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<v Speaker 1>at a kid. I'm gonna predict it. Shaden Sharp is

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<v Speaker 1>going to be one of the most talented people in

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<v Speaker 1>the NBA period, hands down, six to six. His selling

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<v Speaker 1>is the roof. As they say, with only ten games

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<v Speaker 1>left in the season, there's not going to be a

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<v Speaker 1>play in for us. I know that I want him

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<v Speaker 1>to start every single game. I want to see more

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<v Speaker 1>Shaden sharp development. He's strapping. His defense looks really good.

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<v Speaker 1>I want to see what he will do with thirty

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<v Speaker 1>five minutes a game. Dare I say numbers like that

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<v Speaker 1>will be the norm. Do not stunt this kid's development,

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<v Speaker 1>Allow him to grow, Allow him to flourish. I know

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<v Speaker 1>Damian Lillard looks more impatient than I am about the Blazers.

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<v Speaker 1>He's starting to get frustrated again. But I haven't been

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<v Speaker 1>this excited about a Blazers player since Dame Us. Of course,

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<v Speaker 1>we get Victor Wombiama and then everything changes. That's all

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<v Speaker 1>the time that we have for this episode of the

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<v Speaker 1>Heat Check check back Tuesday for an all new episode.

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<v Speaker 1>Do not forget to watch the feed. Please follow us

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