LeBron praises Austin Reaves: 'I like high basketball IQ guys'

Austin Reaves has endeared himself to Los Angeles Lakers teammate LeBron James in a big way due to one specific trait.

James told ESPN's Dave McMenamin that it's Reaves' basketball intelligence that he appreciates most about the second-year guard.

"I don't give a f--- about, like, athleticism; how great you can shoot the ball; how high you can jump; how fast you can run," James said. "I like high basketball IQ guys. Obviously, you got to have that s--- to win a championship. You got to have guys that can do extraordinary s---. But, like, I've always had a liking to guys that just know how to play the f---ing game of basketball."

Reaves joined the Lakers on a two-way contract in 2021 after going undrafted out of Oklahoma. He averaged 7.3 points per game on 45.9% shooting from the field as a rookie.

In his second year, Reaves averaged 13 points, 3.4 assists, and three rebounds per contest while shooting 52.9% from the field across 64 regular-season games.

The 24-year-old is set to become a restricted free agent this offseason and hopes to remain in L.A. for a long time.

"I would love to be here my whole career," Reaves said. "Just the way that the fans treat me, the love they have for me, as an undrafted player, it's kind of like they raised me type of vibe. ... It feels like it's meant to be. It feels like this all happened for a reason, and this is where I should be."