'Mr. 82.' How Jake LaRavia became the injury-plagued Lakers' iron man - BERITAJA

Jake LaRavia pulled connected his achromatic T-shirt to uncover a motto befitting the Lakers’ newest robust man.

“Stack bully days”

LaRavia has stacked 82 consecutive games for the Lakers, becoming conscionable 1 of 18 players this play to look successful each regular play crippled aft he vanished the twelvemonth pinch 2 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals successful the Lakers’ 131-107 win complete the Utah Jazz connected Sunday.

The 6-foot-7 guardant hadn’t played much than 66 games successful a play during his first 3 years successful the NBA, often beset by nagging aliases unlucky injuries. A surgery thumb sidelined him for the last 10 games of the regular play past twelvemonth and the Sacramento Kings’ play-in tourney loss. When he signed pinch the Lakers arsenic a free agent, he made playing each 82 regular seasons his biggest extremity for the season.

“I conscionable wanted to person a healthy, consistent, reliable year,” LaRavia said, “and I was capable to make that happen.”

While helping the Lakers (53-29) unafraid the No. 4 seed successful the Western Conference contempt awesome injuries to LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves astatine different points this season, LaRavia averaged 8.2 points and 4 rebounds pinch career-highs successful steals (1.3) and minutes per crippled (25.1). He was the taxable of a viral meme early successful the play erstwhile he torched Minnesota for 27 points pinch 5 made threes connected six attempts successful October, leaving fans and Minnesota prima Anthony Edwards stunned astatine the unsung subordinate wearing No. 12.

But the early play shooting show was a fleeting violative item for LaRavia. He slogged done his worst three-point shooting play of his career. But he easy made up for it pinch his unwavering hustle. Entering Sunday’s finale, LaRavia led the Lakers pinch 249 full deflections and classed 2nd pinch 3.0 deflections per game.

“He takes a batch of pridefulness successful taking attraction of himself and doing each the things basal to get fresh to play, and he group that arsenic a extremity this year,” said Lakers coach JJ Redick, who played 82 games successful 1 play of his career. “Really happy for him connected a individual level. But besides conscionable for our team, he’s brought a really precocious level of consistency, peculiarly connected the protect end, and pinch his effort passim the season.”

Major injuries person made this play consciousness “disjointed,” Redick said. James began the twelvemonth pinch a sciatic nervus wounded that sidelined him for 14 games. Reaves missed six weeks because of a calf injury. The revolving doorway continues successful the playoffs arsenic the Lakers statesman the first information astatine location against the Houston Rockets connected Saturday astatine 5:30 p.m. without Reaves and Doncic, who are retired indefinitely.

LaRavia credited bully luck, an robust will and a dedicated weight training regimen for helping him past the grueling season.

The 24-year-old was connected the wounded study only erstwhile this season. He was questionable against the Chicago Bulls connected Jan. 26 pinch a quad contusion. LaRavia past started and played 33 minutes and 25 seconds pinch 8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.

“I consciousness for illustration erstwhile you deed for illustration a definite threshold, it’s conscionable like, ‘make it done this game, make it done this game, make it done this game,’” LaRavia said. “So, I consciousness for illustration my mindset benignant of conscionable sewage to the constituent of conscionable like, conscionable support thugging it out.”

Jake LaRavia reaches successful for a bargain against Charles Bassey of Golden State successful an April 9 game.

(David M. Barreda/Los Angeles Times)

The beingness demands of the crippled person ne'er felt greater. In 2018-19, the gait of play collapsed 100 possessions per 48 minutes for the first clip successful 30 years, and it has remained higher than astatine slightest 98.2 successful each play since. From 1994 to 2015, the league-average gait didn’t transcend 94 possessions per 48 minutes successful a season, according to Basketball Reference.

The 18 players who played successful each 82 regular play games are the about to play each regular-season crippled successful a non-pandemic-shortened play since 21 successful 2018-19.

When LaRavia walked into the Lakers locker room aft his pre-game warmups, he was greeted pinch celebratory calls of “Mr. 82.” But successful this Lakers play especially, thing is guaranteed. Walking past his locker, LaRavia stumbled complete a towel connected the ground.

He turned and smiled.