LeBron James hypes up Austin Reaves' 32-point explosion with meme from 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes'

Austin Reaves has grown from an undrafted free agent to the tertiary scorer on the LA Lakers since entering the league in 2021. As he has developed, Reaves has garnered praise from coaches and teammates, including LeBron James. James has been one of his biggest supporters, hyping up his big-scoring games, like the one he had on Thursday.

Despite Luka Doncic sitting the second game of a back-to-back for the Lakers, they were still able to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers on the road 110-102. James led the way with 40 points but Reaves was along for the ride, finishing with 32. It was his fourth game with 30+ points this season.

Reaves' big night earned some humorous hazing from James on Instagram, where he posted a comical story.

LeBron had high praise for Reaves, delivering it in an unconventional way (image credit: instagram/kingjames)

"Austin Reaves is the truth," James wrote.

This isn't the first time that the superstar forward has taken to social media to congratulate his teammates. Recently, James also posted about the addition of Doncic to the team.

How much boost can Austin Reaves give the Lakers this postseason?

After trading Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Luka Doncic, the LA Lakers will have to lean into their offensive strengths if they hope to go on a deep playoff run. Austin Reaves figures to be a big part of the Lakers' offense, especially in the postseason, where his scoring and playmaking ability will be relied upon more as defenses focus on LeBron James and Doncic.

Reaves has a history of improving his play once the playoffs begin, both as a scorer and defender. If the Lakers are going to have success in the postseason, they will need Reaves to play a big part in their offense to help cover their lack of a defensive-minded center.

Experts have pointed out that a lack of an inside presence could come back to haunt LA, but if Reaves can maintain his high level of play alongside James and Doncic, the Lakers could turn heads in the playoffs.