Emmanuel Acho Blasts Austin Reaves’ Cold Shooting in Lakers Game 1 Loss: “Should Be Ashamed of Himself”

Austin Reaves shot a miserable 3 of 16 from the field in the Lakers' Game 1 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Emmanuel Acho Blasts Austin Reaves’ Cold Shooting in Lakers Game 1 Loss: “Should Be Ashamed of Himself”

Emmanuel Acho and Austin Reaves (Image via FirstSportz)

In Short
  • Emmanuel Acho criticized Austin Reaves for his poor performance in Game 1 of the playoffs, stating he should be "ashamed" of scoring only eight points.
  • Reaves, returning from injury, struggled to regain his rhythm and faced criticism for not performing under playoff intensity.
  • With contract negotiations approaching, Reaves must improve to prove he deserves a lucrative deal, as he is currently in a contract year.

It has just been a little more than a week since Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves returned after missing a month due to a Grade 2 left oblique strain.

Before he was injured, the team was just starting to fire on all cylinders. Analysts and fans started to believe that the men in purple and gold had figured out a way to be special, despite their obvious roster deficiencies.

After he appeared on the injury report, LeBron James continued to lead the Lakers towards success. At this point, many felt that the team had figured out how to play to each other’s strengths.

Then, Reaves returned from his injury and struggled initially as he tried to get back into playing rhythm. But most of his problems were taken care of by the rest as the Lakers triumphed over the Rockets.

Austin Reaves should be ashamed of himself for the performance he put out on the court today… You Lakers cannot win with Austin Reaves scoring eight points.

Emmaneul Acho said

The former NFL linebacker quoted one of his colleagues to point out that Austin Reaves is fantastic in the regular season. But in the playoffs, he disappears.

Emmanuel Acho was referring to the atrocious performance the undrafted guard put up against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series. He believes that this had nothing to do with the Arkansas native’s injury. Rather, this has been a growing pattern where Reaves struggles against playoff intensity and defensive schemes.

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Austin Reaves gives honest reaction to questions about his struggles

Emmanuel Acho has just started the discourse about Austin Reaves‘ shooting struggles. Other analysts and former players will be hot on his heels on their respective shows.

They will give their opinions, and some of them could be extremely critical. Maybe that is why reporters inside the Lakers’ locker room decided to ask the 27-year-old various questions about his woes beforehand.

Just making a couple of mental mistakes… I’ve got to get to my spots… Missed a couple of easy shots… I’ve got to go out there and play better.

Austin Reaves replied

Reaves knows what the narratives will be about him as they prepare for Game 2 of this semifinal series. That is why he mentioned that no one cares about what he has to say about his conditioning, or his lack of rhythm, or any other explanation he might have.

He made it clear that he needs to play better. That is as honest a response as could be. It seems Austin Reaves knows he will have to block out all the noise and prove his critics wrong.

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Austin Reaves will need to prove his critics wrong ahead of contract negotiations

Austin Reaves knows he was awful during an otherwise impressive defensive performance by the Los Angeles Lakers. They held the Oklahoma City Thunder to just 108 points.

Austin Reaves needs to do more to help LeBron James
Austin Reaves needs to do more to help LeBron James (Image via Maso/X)

However, they need to get their offense back on track, and it starts with someone who was once hailed to be better than LeBron James this regular season. Ironically, it was the oldest player in the league who had the best individual performance on the court.

Now, Reaves will have to step up if he wants to make a point that he is worth that heady praise. On top of that, he is also in a contract year. The Oklahoma alum has a player option next year that will pay him nearly $15 million. But his performances in the regular season led many to believe he is worth much more.

If Austin Reaves wants to cash in on what would be the richest contract for an undrafted player, he will have to prove that he is not just a regular-season warrior.

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