Austin Reaves has an advantage when it comes to pressure: He wasnt supposed to be here

LAS VEGAS — Everything has changed for Austin Reaves. He signed the richest contract in NBA history for a player who went undrafted.He’s no longer playing with LeBron James, who championed him during their five seasons together. He’s under more pressure than ever. But he also has a cheat code.

A release valve on the pressure cooker, if you will. He was never supposed to be here. ‘I didn’t think I’d ever get the opportunity to play in the NBA,” Reaves said Monday while speaking to reporters at a hotel in Las Vegas during Summer League.“I was telling a story the other day: I didn’t even think I was going to play Division I basketball. “For a long time I thought I would just go play Division II basketball at Central Missouri with my brother.

And whatever happened there, probably go play overseas and just have fun with basketball.But there were different plans and I took advantage of a couple opportunities and we’re sitting here today.”Things didn’t turn out as planned for Reaves in the best way possible.  California's top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.

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Never miss a story He’s now a headliner on one of the most heralded franchises in the league.He’s the Lakers’ second option on offense.

He signed a four-year, $180 million contract earlier this month.Reaves not only surprised all of the teams that overlooked him in the 2021 NBA draft, he stunned himself. In a way, that’s a gift. While someone like LeBron James would’ve been viewed as a failure if he didn’t become one of the greatest players of all-time, Reaves wasn’t even a blip on the radar.He couldn’t have failed because he was never supposed to succeed. There’s no pressure because this is all gravy. There’s no angst because this was never supposed to happen. There’s n...