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

Jake LaRavia controls a loose ball against the Washington Wizards in March. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Jake LaRavia pulled on his black T-shirt to reveal a motto befitting the Lakers’ newest iron man.

“Stack good days”

LaRavia has stacked 82 consecutive games for the Lakers, becoming just one of 18 players this season to appear in every regular season game after he finished the year with two points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals in the Lakers’ 131-107 win over the Utah Jazz on Sunday.

The 6-foot-7 forward hadn’t played more than 66 games in a season during his first three years in the NBA, often beset by nagging or unlucky injuries. A broken thumb sidelined him for the final 10 games of the regular season last year and the Sacramento Kings’ play-in tournament loss. When he signed with the Lakers as a free agent, he made playing all 82 regular seasons his biggest goal for the season.

“I just wanted to have a healthy, consistent, reliable year,” LaRavia said, “and I was able to make that happen.”

While helping the Lakers (53-29) secure the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference despite major injuries to LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves at different points this season, LaRavia averaged 8.2 points and four rebounds with career-highs in steals (1.3) and minutes per game (25.1). He was the subject of a viral meme early in the season when he torched Minnesota for 27 points with five made threes on six attempts in October, leaving fans and Minnesota star Anthony Edwards stunned at the unsung player wearing No. 12.

But the early season shooting display was a fleeting offensive highlight for LaRavia. He slogged through his worst three-point shooting season of his career. But he easily made up for it with his unwavering hustle. Entering Sunday’s finale, LaRavia led the Lakers with 249 total deflections and ranked second with 3.0 deflections per game.

Read more: Lakers defeat Jazz, will open playoffs at home against Houston

“He takes a lot of pride in taking care of himself and doing all the things necessary to get ready to play, and he set that as a goal this year,” said Lakers coach JJ Redick, who played 82 games in one season of his career. “Really happy for him on a personal level. But also just for our team, he's brought a really high level of consistency, particularly on the defensive end, and with his effort throughout the season.”

Major injuries have made this season feel “disjointed,” Redick said. James began the year with a sciatic nerve injury that sidelined him for 14 games. Reaves missed six weeks because of a calf injury. The revolving door continues in the playoffs as the Lakers begin the first round at home against the Houston Rockets on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. without Reaves and Doncic, who are out indefinitely.

LaRavia credited good luck, an iron will and a dedicated weight training regimen for helping him survive the grueling season.

The 24-year-old was on the injury report only once this season. He was questionable against the Chicago Bulls on Jan. 26 with a quad contusion. LaRavia then started and played 33 minutes and 25 seconds with eight points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals.

“I feel like once you hit like a certain threshold, it’s just like, 'make it through this game, make it through this game, make it through this game,'” LaRavia said. “So, I feel like my mindset kind of just got to the point of just like, just keep thugging it out.”

Jake LaRavia reaches in for a steal against Charles Bassey of Golden State in an April 9 game. (David M. Barreda/Los Angeles Times)

The physical demands of the game have never felt greater. In 2018-19, the pace of play broke 100 possessions per 48 minutes for the first time in 30 years, and it has remained higher than at least 98.2 in every season since. From 1994 to 2015, the league-average pace didn’t exceed 94 possessions per 48 minutes in a season, according to Basketball Reference.

The 18 players who played in all 82 regular season games are the most to play every regular-season game in a non-pandemic-shortened season since 21 in 2018-19.

When LaRavia walked into the Lakers locker room after his pre-game warmups, he was greeted with celebratory calls of “Mr. 82.” But in this Lakers season especially, nothing is guaranteed. Walking past his locker, LaRavia stumbled over a towel on the ground.

He turned and smiled.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.