Lakers' Austin Reaves has "black man and Justin Bieber" energy, as per Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce 

LA Lakers rising star Austin Reaves was lauded by Boston Celtics legends Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce for his remarkable ascension as LA's third star. Garnett and Pierce, who spearheaded Boston's 2008 championship run, expressed admiration for Reaves during the latest episode of the "KG Certified" podcast released on Friday.

Garnett initially said Reaves has "black man" energy, while Pierce compared him to a four-time NBA champion and multiple NFL stars.

"He like a new Klay Thompson," Pierce said. "With more playmaking ... his swag is through the roof."

"Austin Reaves out here playing with black man energy," Garnett added.

Pierce then compared Reaves to pop star Justin Bieber before he and Garnett presented NFL comparisons.

"He like the Justin Bieber of the league, like for real," Pierce said.

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After Garnett said Reaves reminded him of Cooper Kupp, Pierce responded by name-dropping Travis Kelce and Baker Mayfield. The former Celtics duo also joked that Reaves "hotboxes" after games in a Tesla.

Putting the jokes aside, Kevin Garnett claimed that Austin Reaves should have a crack at the Most Improved Player of the Year award alongside Cade Cunningham. He believes the Lakers' fourth-year guard's ascension warrants it.

Reaves has emerged as a certified third star on the team. He's averaging career highs across the board, tallying 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.1 steals. Over the Lakers' past 15 games, Reaves has averaged 24.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg and 5.0 apg, playing 14 times.

He's commanding almost the same gravity that his All-NBA caliber teammates, Luka Doncic and LeBron James, have in this stretch, giving the Lakers' offense a dynamic edge heading into the playoffs as a top-six seed.