Before Austin Reaves emerged as a core player on the Los Angeles Lakers, he was an undrafted free from rural Arkansas. He was overlooked in the draft by scouts who thought he wasn't athletic or big enough, but the Lakers saw potential and signed him after he declined being selected by the Detroit Pistons in the second round of the 2021 draft.

One Laker in particular saw this potential—LeBron James.

During an interview with Taylor Gaes of NBA.com, Reaves revealed that James was hard on him, particularly during a two-week stretch. Reaves grew so frustrated that he longed for a break from James. Turns out, James had a specific motivation for pressing Reaves early on.

"Because I knew," LeBron said, "I saw it. I saw it from the beginning. I knew he could play." 

"I'll give Bron credit," Reaves said to Gaes. "Ever since day one, I remember my rookie year, he was on my ass for a two-week stretch, and I was getting frustrated. I would mess up in games, and he would critique me a lot. I got real frustrated because I felt like he just kept coming after me. Kept coming after me. But not in a bad way—he just wanted me to be better. I went to [former Lakers assistant] Phil Handy, and I was like, 'He needs to give me a break, I’m still learning.' And he was like, 'The only reason he's on you like that is because he believes in you.'"

Reaves continued, "From day one, he’s been one of the biggest reasons that I’ve continued to grow." 

James's intuition was spot on, and Reaves has grown each season since his rookie year in 2021-22. Reaves has started every game so far this season for the first time in his career, and is averaging a career-high 19.1 points per game—over three more points each game than last season. The 26-year-old is coming off one of his best performances of the season after scoring 32 points in Thursday's win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Even on a team with James and new acquisition Luka Doncic, Reaves should remain a focal point of the Lakers organization going forward.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Austin Reaves Reveals Sweet Reason LeBron James Was Tough on Him Early in Career.