Austin Reeves is a fascinating mix of contradictions.
On one hand, he’s this humble, goofy guy from Newark, Arkansas—a small town with under 2,000 residents. It’s almost endearing how he’s on the verge of landing a big contract yet feels like an imposter in his newfound superstar role.
Then there’s his confidence. It’s almost extreme, or as he describes it, “delusional confidence.”
When Lakers coach JJ Redick called on him for a challenging play against the Nuggets, that confidence wavered for a moment.
With just 5.2 seconds remaining and the Lakers lagging 118-116, Redick asked Reeves to intentionally miss a free throw in a highly strategic way to allow himself a chance to rebound and potentially score, and maybe push the game into overtime.
It’s no easy feat. Just ask LeBron James, the sole player in NBA history to complete 23 seasons.
“We haven’t seen that much,” James noted. “This is really tough because, let’s be honest, we don’t practice missing free throws.”
Interestingly, Reeves had some experience with this kind of situation. Back in his AAU days, he once missed a free throw on purpose when his team was up by 10, caught the rebound, and sank a three-pointer, but ultimately, it didn’t help—they lost the game. More recently, during a pickup scrimmage, he tried the same strategy, missed a free throw, caught it, and made a reverse layup to level the score.
This time, however, the stakes felt higher.
The Lakers were up against the Nuggets, who had missed playoffs in consecutive seasons. Pressure built since the Lakers were on a hot streak, having won four straight and seven of their last eight games. This game seemed like a litmus test for how they’d fare against another championship contender.
So, yes, Reeves felt a bit anxious. When pressed about his confidence to do this tricky play at the free-throw line, he candidly admitted, “Not much. I knew I was going to miss. I wasn’t going to give the ball a chance.”
He dribbled and tossed the ball at the front of the rim, where it made contact and veered to the left. Making an instinctive decision, he sprinted after the rebound before anyone could react and sunk a nine-foot jumper that tied the game at 118-118, pushing it into overtime.
It was quite a moment.
“It’s not easy,” Reeves, who led the team with 32 points, remarked. “Frustrating, too, that we had to mess up our free throw percentage.”
He laughed while sharing his thought process during the play, noting how he spotted defenders on either side and worried that if he didn’t act quickly enough, Jokic might block his shot. “It worked out,” he said, expressing both shock and satisfaction.
The crowd erupted. The atmosphere at Crypto.com Arena was electric.
Afterwards, even Redick—a usually intense coach—seemed almost calm, a slight smile creeping in when discussing Reeves’ skills. “This is an incredible play,” he remarked. “He has a good touch.”
Reeves has also proven his mettle on the court. Before an injury sidelined him, he was among the top-10 scorers in the league and even found himself in All-Star discussions.
Just two days before the game, when reminiscing about a comment from LeBron that labeled him a “star,” Reeves had humorously replied, “Fake it ‘til you make it.”
Does he believe he’s really a star now? “Not really, to be honest,” he responded after a win against the Bulls. “Feels kind of weird.” But once again, on Saturday, he found himself at the center of attention in the basketball world.
After clinching overtime, a camera caught him cradling a basketball, looking down and whispering, “I love you.”
This little moment felt a bit like Tom Hanks in “Castaway,” though Reeves quickly explained, “I don’t really talk to the ball. Usually, it’s bad luck when I do.”
But on that day, he undoubtedly deserved the spotlight.
Reeves may be an understated star, but it’s something he’ll have to start accepting.
