Reeves on sport-fm.gr: “Greece is strong even without Giannis”

From undrafted in 2021, o Austin Reeves managed within a few months to win a contract with Lakersto establish himself in the team, to win one four-year, $54 million contract and be on Team USA. The 25-year-old shooting guard spoke to sport-fm.gr and the Christos Robolis for this great route, but also for the tonight (19:00) friendly USA vs Greece in Abu Dhabi.

“It was definitely an awesome year for me. Obviously a lot has changed in my life. But this is what I always wanted to do and for this purpose I worked all my life and continue to work. This shows that when you strive for your goals and dreams nothing, really nothing, is impossible. I want to continue the hard work and achieve as much as I can. I still feel like I’m at the beginning“, emphasized the so-called… Hillbilly Kobe (s.b. something like… Vlachos Kobe).

Asked about the “demand” that is always there from the Team USA to bring the gold, he replied:There is a well-intentioned pressure on us, which can only work positively in our team. We are well aware of our capabilities, what we can bring to the table and we want to present our best selves. There are certainly many good teams, the level of competition is very high and nothing will be easy. But from the first day of training we have been working hard and if we play as we should, we believe we will succeed. Let’s go step by step“, he underlined.

As for whether he sought advice from teammates who have won gold medals with the U.S., such as Lebron James and Anthony Davis; “The truth is, we haven’t talked about it. In the summer I let my teammates rest and recharge their batteries for the new season. I spoke with Phil Handy (assistant coach at the Lakers), who was also in Greece for some training sessions. It gave me an idea of ​​what to expect regarding the differences in basketball and the rules. His advice was very helpful. Sure there are some differences, but basketball is everywhere… basketball and you can adapt easily“, he pointed out.

Finally, referring to the Greek team, he said with certainty that he expects them to be strong despite his absence Giannis Antetokounmpo. “They are a team that plays very hard, they have quick guards and they go to the offensive rebound a lot. Giannis Antetokounmpo may be absent, we all know what his status is in the NBA, but there is a lot of talent in the Greek team and in Europe in general. I know it well from my brother (sr. Spencer Reeves, who plays in Germany and Rasta Fechta), who plays in Europe. I watch a lot of games in European basketball and I see great potential. Although Giannis is not playing, I am sure that Greece will have a good team and we will have to face them as if they had Giannis in their ranks. It will also be a good rehearsal for the official match, in the group stage in Manila“, he emphasized.