Austin Reaves has been showered with praise lately, and NBA analyst Kevin O’Connor is the latest to speak glowingly of the Los Angeles Lakers guard. On the latest episode of the Kevin O’Connor Show, O’Connor compared Reaves to Hall of Famer Manu Ginobili.
“In some ways, he is kind of the Lakers Manu Ginobili because of that shiftiness, that downhill attacking, and the ability to draw a ton of fouls,” O’Connor said. “Think about those Spurs teams, if they didn’t have Manu’s clutch shot-making, the playmaking next to (Tony) Parker and (Tim) Duncan, the ability to get into the teeth of the defense, draw fouls, finish tough against contact and length, help side coming over, Reaves brings that ingredient as the third guy behind Luka (Doncic) and LeBron (James).”
That’s an interesting comparison. Reaves does bring all those things to the table and is proving to be a solid third option, the way Ginobili was for so many years as a reserve for the San Antonio Spurs.
Reaves is currently averaging 19.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game for the Lakers in 2024-25. The 26-year-old has been fairly efficient too, shooting 45.1% from the field, 36.5% from beyond the arc, and 87.5% from the line.
Now, if we compare these numbers to what Ginobili put up in his best season, you’ll realize they’re similar. The Argentine averaged 19.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in 2007-08, when he won Sixth Man of the Year. Ginobili didn’t have as many assists as Reaves but was more efficient, as he shot 46.0% from the field, 40.1% from beyond the arc, and 86.0% from the line.
Ginobili was also better at getting to the line, averaging 6.0 free throw attempts per game that season compared to 4.9 for Reaves in this one. There’s no doubt who is the better player between them, but you see why O’Connor came up with that comparison.
This is the second time this month that Reaves has been compared to a Hall of Famer. Previously, Lakers legend James Worthy had compared him to Pete Maravich. Not bad for someone who went undrafted in 2021, is it?
Jordan Goodwin Believes Austin Reaves Is Better Than Most 1st And 2nd Options In The NBA
As stated earlier, Reaves has earned a lot of praise lately and his teammate Jordan Goodwin made a bold claim regarding the guard after the Lakers’ 125-109 win over the Spurs on March 17. Goodwin stated Reaves is better than most first and second options in the NBA.
“I always liked AR,” Goodwin said. “… He’s our 3rd option, but he’s better than most 1’s, most 2’s in the league. So, we gotta keep on putting respect on AR’s name ’cause he’s him. He’s one of the ones.”
Reaves had put up 30 points against the Spurs that night and has been making a strong case to be regarded as the best third option in the NBA. He might actually be better than some second options too, but not most, as Goodwin suggested.
That was an exaggeration but it speaks to how well Reaves is playing. He will be in action next when the Lakers take on the Orlando Magic at Kia Center on Monday at 7 PM ET.
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