When it comes to the Lakers, everybody knows that LeBron James and Anthony Davis are running the show. As the pillars of the franchise, GM Rob Pelinka has made it a point to build around them in their quest for championships. As for young guard Austin Reaves, he doesn’t yet have the experience as his All-Star teammates, but he’s becoming a fan-favorite in LA.
In a recent appearance on #thisleague UNCUT with Chris Haynes and Marc Stein, head coach Darvin Ham gave some high praise to Austin and even went so far as to call him a future All-Star.
“I’m putting it on record right now: Austin Reaves will be an All-Star at some point soon,” said Ham.
As a rookie out of Wichita State, Reaves struggled to crack the rotation, but it didn’t take long for him to earn a spot. Just a year later, Austin proved himself as a true rotation player and then followed it up with an inspiring playoff performance that helped the Lakers reach the Conference Finals.
It’s still too early to say for sure where Reaves’ ceiling lies, but he’s able to step up when it matters most, and that is one skill that has gone grossly undervalued in the NBA today.
Lakers Will Keep Leaning On Reaves
As LeBron gets older, it becomes more and more important for the Lakers to find guys who can take the scoring and playmaking load off his shoulders. Last season, the team asked Russell Westbrook to be that guy for them, but they will be looking to Reaves to help fill that role now.
“The Lakers plan on running more of their offense through Reaves next season,” Buha wrote. “Unlocking the point guard skills he’s flashed through his first two years in the league, according to team sources not authorized to speak publicly.”
Only time will tell how quickly Reaves is able to reach his peak form, but the Lakers have a lot riding on his success and they’ll have nowhere else to turn if he fails to live up to expectations.
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