• Austin Reaves is the favorite to win the 2024 Most Improved Player award
• Fans have had a varying reaction to this possibility
• Reaves signed an extension with the Lakers this summer and is currently playing for Team USA
Austin Reaves is having a fantastic summer. After emerging as the third star behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the Lakers, Reaves has seen his popularity on the Lakers skyrocket. With his boosted profile, Reaves is being pegged as the favorite to win Most Improved Player next season. Fans have had a mixed reaction to the news.
Austin Reaves is now the favorite to win Most Improved Player next season, per @betonline_ag pic.twitter.com/WG14SfbDBO
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 31, 2023
Some fans instantly started hating on the recent popularity boost that Reaves has gotten.
We are all sincerely tired of looking at this guy at this point.
— NBA Reactz (@NBAReactz) August 31, 2023
A fan thinks Reaves’ popularity is tied to him being a Laker.
https://twitter.com/Jynxsu3/status/1697315125475131445
A fan disagreed with the notion of ‘Lakers tax’, claiming Reaves was just a good player.
Lakers tax or him just being a good basketball player buddy💀
— ²³𝙻𝚎𝙱𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚜🏀☄️🌎💞 (@BronGotGame) August 31, 2023
One fan thinks he should’ve been in contention last season.
I feel like that's an award he should have been considered for last season … he's arrived already imo…
— nittygrittysportstalk (@nittygritty410) August 31, 2023
More fans questioned if Reaves could improve more than what he already has.
https://twitter.com/jbilyeudesign30/status/1697342558316466594
Fans are comparing Reaves’ recent success to Jeremy Lin’s ‘Linsanity’ era.
His linsanity run will be over with soon
— Javon 🌌 (@jtbucketsss) August 31, 2023
One fan said Reaves was overrated.
Austin Reaves is officially the most overrated player in the league
— Philly Sports Guru (@phlsportsguru) August 31, 2023
Reaves is currently playing really well for Team USA at the FIBA World Cup. He’s averaged 11.7 points through three games, shooting an incredible 54.5% from three.
He’s easily the most popular member of the team, getting massive cheers from the Manila crowd whenever he’s playing.
Can Austin Reaves Win Most Improved Player?
Reaves has already shown his ‘Most Improved Player’ trajectory through the end of last season. He averaged 10.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists before the Russell Westbrook trade was executed in February. As his minutes increased and he became a starter, Reaves ended the season with an average of 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists.
He ended the playoffs with 21.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 5.3 assists against the Nuggets, solidifying himself as the third star on the Lakers. If he can sustain how he played against the Nuggets over the regular season, he may have a chance.
But I don’t expect him to be a 20-point scorer next season. The Lakers have many on-ball options that’ll share the scoring load, making it hard for him to average that over the season. He likely be the third-highest individual scorer behind James and Davis, but it’s hard to say that’ll be enough to beat out someone like Jordan Poole who could become a 30-point scorer in Washington next season.
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