Hillbilly Kobe move over, Lakers star earns new nickname after just 3 games

SALT LAKE CITY — Move over, Hillbilly Kobe, because JJ Redick has a new nickname for Austin Reaves. 

It’s only been three games, but the sixth-year guard has already given the Lakers plenty to be happy with since Reaves signed a four-year, $185 million contract to remain with the franchise during the offseason. 

He followed up a pair of impressive showings in the Lakers’ first two games of the season with arguably his best performance yet on Sunday.

He recorded 29 points on 7-for-12 shooting (4 of 5 on 3-pointers) and 11-for-13 free throw shooting to go with 4 assists and a season-low 3 turnovers in the 132-123 win over the Jazz at Delta Center.

“AR so far in these three games has just been Mr. Consistency,” Redick said. 

A statistical marker of Reaves’ consistency to start the season: Sunday was not only his third straight contest he scored at least 23 points, but he’s also shot at least 54% from the field in each game so far.

He hasn’t taken more than 13 field goal attempts in any of those games, either.

The most impressive part of Reaves’ start to the season is that “he hasn’t pressed at all,” as Redick put it.

He’s let games come to him.

“It’s something we’ve acknowledged with him,” Redick added. “You got to play the game in front of you. He’s just played the game, and the results have spoken for themselves.”

But when Reaves does need to take over, he’s proven he can, like when he scored 15 points in the second quarter against the Jazz to help the Lakers come back from an 18-point deficit and take a three-point lead going into halftime. 

“He’s extremely patient, an unreal player, really skilled,” Walker Kessler said of Reaves. “And the reality is, it’s not a one-man sport. But I mean, AR’s – he had 29 points on 12 shots. His ability to score too and play make for other guys is unreal as well.”

Reaves’ approach is one he learned from his family while growing up.

“It’s just make the right play, it’s simple,” he said. “I talk about it all the time. It’s something that my parents and my brother taught me growing up was: Play the game the right way, the game’s gonna reward you. 

“We have a team that understands roles and what we ask them to do. And if they’re gonna do everything that we ask them to do, we gotta help them in these situations. The thing about our team is, there’s no ego, there’s no anything, just wanna win basketball games and however that happens is the main thing.” 

With the Lakers having a 3-0 record to start 2026-27, and with Reaves averaging 26.7 points (63.9% shooting) and 6.3 assists this season, it’s safe to say the approach has worked so far.

“Obviously his efficiency, it’s off the roof,” Luka Doncic said. “And just to have him next to me, leading this team, it’s awesome.”