West Notes: Lakers, Austin Reaves, Kings, De’Aaron Fox, Rockets

Lakers

Coach Darvin Ham said the Lakers don’t have any immediate plans to fill their vacant roster spot.

“We feel like we have a good vibe, a good rhythm with the guys that are out there. We’re standing pat for now,” Ham told reporters. “But the process of trying to improve our roster never changes. We’re constantly looking.”

• What’s the latest on star forward LeBron James? It sounds like he could be out for another few weeks, though the Lakers have been keeping things fairly quiet on that front. We have more here.
• It doesn’t look as if the Lakers will pursue Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving in free agency this summer, Jovan Buha of The Athletic said on the HoopsHype podcast. The Lakers did have interest in Irving before the trade deadline but are more likely to try to re-sign point guard D’Angelo Russell.
• Multiple teams are expected to make a run at guard Austin Reaves in free agency, HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto said on the podcast. Reaves has played particularly well lately, and it goes without saying that the Lakers would like to keep him.

Kings

Guard De’Aaron Fox said his confidence isn’t lacking, proving as much by hitting a buzzer-beater to beat the host Bulls on Wednesday.

“I think it’s through the roof,” Fox told reporters. “I have a whole group of guys and coaching staff who believe in me. They have confidence in me taking the last shot, so the least I can do is go out there and have confidence in myself.”

Coach Mike Brown took it a step further, mentioning power forward Domantas Sabonis in the process.

“You know Fox is the most clutch player out there,” Brown said. “And Domas with his ability to bring to the table triple-double after triple-double after triple-double and we get a win, both those guys should be on an all-NBA team.”

Rockets

Coach Stephen Silas isn’t letting the Rockets’ record determine how far they’ve come this season.

“All of them have some sort of chip on their shoulders it seems,” he said of the Rockets’ young core. “They are young but they’re all competitive … and they really want to do the right thing. Sometimes we just don’t because we’re young, but they’re a fun group to coach because they’re all good guys.”

• Rookie power forward Jabari Smith Jr. said he is open to playing center more regularly. “As I get stronger, I feel like that’s where my advantage will be,” he said, via Brian Barefield of RocketsWire. “That’s where I’ll be the biggest mismatch for other fives in the league. As I keep learning that position, I feel I can play that.”