Ex-NBA player-turned-analyst Chandler Parsons took back his freezing-cold take on Los Angeles Lakers rising star Austin Reaves after getting called out.
“I didn’t know 15 [points], five [rebounds], and five [assists] was an insult when I said that,” Parsons said on “Run It Back” on FanDuel TV on Tuesday, April 1. “Clearly, Laker Nation saw a ball-dominant guard in Luka Doncic coming there and Austin Reaves’ numbers somehow going up, and I missed that. You gotta credit the dude.”
Last year, Parsons did not believe that at that time Reaves would take a major leap from being just a 15/5/5 player into a rising star this season.
“He’s not a player who’s going to continue to get exceptionally better. It’s not like the potential is through the roof with him,” Parsons said at the time.
Former Lakers guard Patrick Beverley called him out and demanded an apology to Reaves.
Chandler Parsons Says He Already Talked to Austin Reaves
Parsons responded that the already hashed it out with Reaves in person.
“I talked to Austin Reaves about this,” Parsons continued on the April 1 episode of the “Run It Back” show. “I saw him at the game… he didn’t take it as an insult, and the people that don’t know him or don’t know anything about him did take it as an insult.
“The dude is balling… he’s always been an efficient, smart, tough player, and I did think his numbers would take a hit with Luka there just on simple ball usage rate — but he’s flourishing under the JJ Redick offense. He’s still getting his touches, he’s still getting his minutes, he’s being efficient too. He’s shooting 45-46% from the field, 36% from three, so he’s still taking good shots.”
Reaves’ agent, Aaron Reilly, knew his client would take a major leap under Redick. He called it right after the Lakers hired Redick.
Reilly was ecstatic when the Lakers officially named Redick as the team’s new head coach, replacing Darvin Ham.
“This coach is about to show a different part of Austin’s game [that] none have you seen. Kept receipts on all that third superstar [expletive]. Great hire for LA – going to be a big year next season,” Reilly tweeted in June of last year.
‘Best Third Star’ in NBA Today
Parson’s hot take turned into a freezing-cold take as Reaves blossomed from an undrafted guard into one of the rising stars in the league and a legitimate third option behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis and then took another jump after the Luka Dončić trade.
Over his last 10 games, Reaves is averaging 25.7 points, 6.1 assists and 5.2 rebounds.
“Listen, again, like I said, 15, five, and five wasn’t an insult when I said that,” Parsons added. “I didn’t know how much room there was to grow… it’s 26 [points], and five, and that’s a big step up,” Parsons continued. “So I was wrong, and listen, he’s playing really good and I’m happy for him.”
Reaves’ rise has prompted the conversation about him as the best “third star” in the NBA.
ESPN’s Tim Legler said on “NBA Today” on Tuesday, March 18 that the conversation should start now. But Beverley had already been on the Reaves hype train since February.
“I like what the Lakers have,’ Beverley said on his “Pat Bev Podcast with Rone” on Feb. 12. “And you talk about a third option, you look around the NBA, he might be the best third option in the NBA in Austin Reaves.”
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