Austin Reaves sets the record straight about Lakers teammates D'Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura

article

D'Angelo Russell #1 of the Los Angeles Lakers, Rui Hachimura #28 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES - After winning the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament, the Los Angeles Lakers are aiming to get back on track. Currently, they have a .500 record through 43 games this season and with that, anything is possible, especially after next month’s All-Star break.

Remember, this team also struggled last season and managed to make it to the Western Conference Finals.

Still, there remain a lot of unknowns, especially with trade buzz swirling around the franchise.

During Tuesday’s practice ahead of their matchup against the LA Clippers, Lakers fan-favorite Austin Reaves spoke to reporters. Reaves wanted to set the record straight on what some fans had been speculating about when it comes to the alleged moods of his teammates, D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura, following Sunday night's win against Portland.

One of the videos in question showed Russell on the bench, with some on social media saying it looked like he was crying, and the second showed Hachimura throwing up the "LA" sign with his hands, with an apparent lack of excitement.

"You know, today's the world of social media. Regardless if you want to try to stay away from it. Everybody's got, you know, some type of form of social media. So, you know, I had some people say that to me, asked me if everything was okay," Reaves said in a video posted by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

He continued to explain he believed that the camera just caught them at the wrong moment.

"The man was sitting on the bench like it was nothing but positive vibes. I don't know if the camera just, you know, caught up, a moment of him looking sad, but, I mean, locker room, everything. Everybody was happy with it."

SUGGESTED:

Reaves went on to say, "If anything is going on, I'd be the first to know. Those are my guys. I appreciate what they do for us, the organization. And, more than that, they're my friends."

Tip-off for Tuesday night's "Battle of LA" is scheduled for 7 p.m. from the Crypto.com Arena in downtown LA.