Austin Reaves’ Brother Reveals Lakers Star Is Unhappy About His ESPN 100 Ranking

Austin Reaves' elder brother has said that the Lakers star believes he should've been higher on ESPN's top 100 list.

5 Min Read

Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Austin Reaves was ranked No. 66 on the ESPN 100, an annual preseason ranking of the 100 best players in the NBA by the publication. While Reaves hasn’t commented on his ranking publicly, his elder brother has revealed that the Lakers guard is probably upset about his placement but won’t say anything about it publicly, as told to The Ringer.

“I can say this confidently, [Austin] would never come out and say this, but he would look at the list and be like, ‘I’m actually higher than 66.’”

Austine’s elder brother, Spencer Reaves, is one of his closest confidants and could speak to how his brother feels very well. Ultimately, I don’t think most players care about this ranking enough to let it affect their play. 

Reaves will come out next season with the hunger to become a better player, not because ESPN had him outside the top 50, but because advancing like that means he’ll be helping the Lakers contend for a championship.


Multiple NBA Players Have Attacked ESPN For The Rankings

NBA players are some of the most competitive people on the planet, but it seems sometimes competition can unite them. It seems any player who talks publicly about this list has something bad to say about it, as evidenced by Kyrie Irving, who was not happy that he was ranked at No. 34.

“Who. TF. cares. I Never will. Rankings don’t mean a damn thing in the league, especially not from ESPN or any of these other media platforms. The majority of the analysts are not credible sources in my eyes and I don’t respect them or their opinions.”

Kyle Kuzma took shots at them on social media, while fans were stunned to see Ja Morant be put at No. 35 this year. Kenyon Martin Jr. may not have been in the running to be on the list, but he felt disrespected by how Russell Westbrook was ranked.

“Show me f*cking 93 other people better than Russell Westbrook in the NBA. You have two people on the list ahead of him that ain’t played one f*cking NBA minute… Wemby and Scoot. They got Russ 94th dog. Are you sh*tting me? Let’s stop this f*cking madness man. Get the f*ck out of here man!”

All these players can go through the ebbs and flows of how the media reacts to a player and what they achieve on the court. The players’ goal will always be to compete for wins and improve their skill set, which is the only thing that can impact the game.


Austin Reaves Ready To Prove His Doubters Wrong

Many think Reaves is reaching the point of being overrated after the undrafted player’s breakout late last season. Given how his Team USA stint went, Reaves is coming into this season with a backpack of momentum and a mountain of haters. The Lakers star is ready to prove all of them wrong.

“That hunger is for sure still there. I think that underdog chip, for me, it’ll never go away, regardless of how high it goes. I genuinely believe that — there’s always people who doubt but — there’s a majority of people who still doubt what I’m doing. I think a lot of people think it’s maybe situations that occur and then go away.”

Reaves averaged 21.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in the final series of the Lakers’ season against the Nuggets, with fans expecting similar production from him this season. If the Lakers want to be title contenders, it’s crucial Reaves continues his development and becomes a bonafide third option in LA.  

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Ishaan Bhattacharya is a content manager for Fadeaway World from New Delhi, India. With his expertise in NBA content creation, Ishaan brings a wealth of experience to his role, contributing to the site's authority and reach within the basketball community. Over the last year, Ishaan has interviewed Ray Allen and Mark Tatum, while also covering the 2023 NBA Abu Dhabi Games which saw the Dallas Mavericks take on the Minnesota Timberwolves.Since joining Fadeaway World in March 2022, Ishaan Bhattacharya has become known for his unique perspective on the NBA. He consistently delivers this insight through his daily news coverage and detailed opinion pieces on the most significant topics in the league.Before his tenure at Fadeaway World, Ishaan worked in corporate communications, where he serviced prominent sports brands, including NBA India, Sports18, Amazon Prime Sports, and Royal Challengers Bangalore. This experience in strategic communications for leading sports entities has enhanced his ability to craft impactful narratives and connect with a global audience.A true MFFLer (Mavs Fan for Life, for the uninitiated), Ishaan is a massive fan of the Dallas Mavericks. When he is not upset about Jalen Brunson walking in free agency, you can see Ishaan as an avid gamer and content creator. His passion for basketball extends beyond the Mavericks, as evidenced by his thoughtfully curated NBA Mount Rushmore, featuring LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Bill Russell—each representing distinct eras and bringing their unique qualities to the game.Featured On: ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Bleacher ReportYahoo Sports, NBA, Fox Sports, The Spun
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