Austin Reaves was an undrafted player who is currently a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. Reaves was a key player for the team last season, providing solid ballhandling and defense.
Recently, Lakers insider Jovan Buha of The Athletic announced that Austin Reaves will likely be a starter for the team next season, based on “chatter out of the organization”. It is clear that the Los Angeles Lakers value what Austin Reaves brings to the organization.
Reaves is penciled in as a starter and closer based on the chatter out of the organization.
The Los Angeles Lakers have prioritized getting younger, more athletic, and better defensively this offseason. That is evidenced by their signings of players such as Troy Brown Jr. and Juan Toscano-Anderson. Those players fit Darvin Ham’s new philosophy, which is clearly focused on improving on the defensive end.
Previously, Ham even stated that he wants star point guard Russell Westbrook to defend at a championship level, and it’s clear that he is prioritizing defense over offense.
“We talked in our conversations and the biggest word we used was ‘sacrifice and everything else is gonna flow from there… I want him to set a tone defensively for our team. Just get back to guarding, guarding, guarding… I want him to get back to guarding at a championship level.”
The Los Angeles Lakers will likely be a better team next season than they were this year, and perhaps we’ll see them make it back to the playoffs. However, it is still hard to see them win a championship with their current roster, but perhaps that will change if the Lakers make a few moves.
Austin Reaves making some sort of second-year jump will definitely benefit the Los Angeles Lakers. Hopefully, Reaves ends up thriving and contributing to winning in his new role, and perhaps we’ll see some improvements in his game in the future.
