The Los Angeles Lakers are going to go out of their way to ensure Austin Reaves stays on the Lakers this summer, looking to not repeat the mistakes they made in the 2021 offseason where they punted on Alex Caruso and lost him for nothing in free agency.
Reaves is expected to fetch a $100 million contract offer that the Lakers will happily pay after his performances last season. Colin Cowherd believes it’ll be a massive overpay and that the Lakers are valuing Reaves higher than his actual ability because they found him.
“Last two years, he’s been a nice player for the Lakers. Are they getting delusional because they found him? And because he plays well with LeBron, but so did Matthew Dellavedova… Everybody is loyal to what they find. Are the Lakers falling in love with the kid because they found him at garage sale prices? If you want to be a max player, you have got to show me max qualities.”
"Are the Lakers getting delusional because they found him?"
— @ColinCowherd plays the blind resume game with Austin Reaves pic.twitter.com/CAqw51WYEI
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) June 28, 2023
Cowherd went on to play a game where he blindly compares Reaves’ stats with other players around the NBA. The players Cowherd used for the comparison were Grayson Allen, Patrick Beverley, Mac McClung, and Kelly Olynyk.
People Need To Watch Austin Reaves More Often
Anyone who watched even a modicum of Lakers basketball after February knows that comparing Reaves to the players’ Cowherd mentions is asinine. The Lakers literally traded Beverley away, Grayson Allen is a 3-and-D guard that can’t attack off the dribble like Reaves, Mac McClung has played four NBA games in his career, and Kelly Olynyk is an aging sweet-shooting big. These comparisons honestly make no sense.
Reaves may be overrated at the moment, with people hyperfocused on his 16.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.6 assists average in the playoffs. But to use his career stats, which include a season and a half of him having a bit-part role before his elevation to the starting lineup in the winter, is unfair. Reaves averaged 15.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 22 games as a starter this season, showing that he can thrive with opportunity.
His contract value may be inflated partially, but the Lakers have definitely found a valuable player that is complementary to their current setup and still has room to develop.
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