Austin Reaves on Lakers future, Kobe Bryant impact and learning from Rondo / News - Basketnews.com

Austin Reaves wants to make as much money as he can: "I would like to stay in Lakers, but NBA is a business." Reaves also says that Kobe Bryant was the only person outside of his family who affected him as an athlete.

Credit: AP - Scanpix Credit AP - Scanpix

Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Austin Reaves has become one of the top second-year players in the NBA.

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An undrafted athlete makes big steps forward when the Lakers are having an injury-plagued season, with superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis missing a significant amount of games.

For all that the Lakers' roster lacks, they have found a key contributor in this 24-year-old from Newark, Arkansas, who averages 12.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.1 assists over 56 games this season.

Reaves recently appeared on the Point Forward podcast with co-host Evan Turner, where the new Los Angeles star discussed many intriguing topics, his future with the Lakers being one of them.

"As I said, we and Bron have good chemistry. I would like to be there. It's an NBA, though, it's a business at the end of the day," Reaves touched on his future.

"Anybody that says we don't play the game for money, to me, is lying. If you weren't getting paid, I don't know if you would be here doing it. Obviously, everybody loves the game, but, you know, I want to make as much money as I can and be as successful as I can no matter where it's at," he added.

Like many athletes, Reaves' basketball path was influenced by the example of the late Kobe Bryant and his tremendous work ethic.

"Pro-wise I was a huge fan of Kobe Bryant," he said. "I just loved the mentality around and everything he did – the way he approached the game was probably my favorite thing. He played and didn't sit out much. He was probably the only person outside of my family who affected me as an athlete."

What about some kind of crazy Kobe story?

"I heard a story one time, just basically about his workout and how detailed it was. He was doing a simple pivot or something, and someone had left the gym, came back three hours later, and he was still doing the same thing. That just speaks who he was."

Following the Kobe segment, Reaves talked about the most influential guys he had an opportunity to play with in Los Angeles.

Rajon Rondo's name was quickly pointed out loud.

"I learned the most from Rondo. ... I was always in his ear, asking questions," Reaves underlined.

"It got to a point where I was asking him so many questions where I was like, damn, if was him, I would be annoyed. I told him, 'If I ever ask you a question and you don't wanna answer, just tell me to f**k off.' Simple."

If the Lakers (37-37) winning ways are going to continue in their next games, Austin Reaves and company would see their team's name in the NBA Playoffs picture, something that was unlikely not so much in the past.

Full Point Forward podcast:

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