L.A. Lakers: 'Complete basketball player' Austin Reaves will 'adjust his game' (2024)

There is no doubt that the L.A. Lakers are viewed as one of the early NBA title favorites, but it is no longer just because they have 18-time All-Star LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the roster. They have now acquired significant depth on all areas of the floor, and despite NBA writer Mark Medina believing any of their role players could make a case for being the most impactful, it’s hard to argue with the emergence of third-year guard, Austin Reaves.

L.A. Lakers news - Austin Reaves

The first move that Lakers GM Rob Pelinka admitted he made as soon as the clock struck 3 p.m. to signal the start of free agency was to reach out to Reaves in order to offer him a new contract because of how “extraordinarily badly” he wanted the 25-year-old to remain a Laker for the long-term, via Spectrum Sports Net.

Somehow, the front-office managed to bring the undrafted guard back to the City of Angels on a very team-friendly four-year, $56 million deal, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. This came much to the surprise of anonymous league executives, some of whom believe Reaves to be worth almost double his new contract, in the region of $100 million instead, per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. Nevertheless, his new deal is worth significantly more than the standard minimum contract he was playing on last year, with Spotrac’s estimation of his earnings last year to be a mere $1.24 million.

Who does Mark Medina predict to be the most impactful piece for the Lakers next season?

When asked about which member of the Lakers rotation he thinks will prove to be most impactful for the team next season, Medina found it hard to argue against naming third-year guard Austin Reaves as his predicted stand-out player, if LeBron James and Anthony Davis were ruled out of the equation of course. His reasoning is largely due to the skill-set that he has shown on the court so far in both his NBA career, while also being a key piece of Team USA’s FIBA World Cup team this summer.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said…

“No doubt it starts with LeBron James, Anthony Davis and how healthy they can be. But those are star players. So we're looking at kind of all the other puzzle pieces in terms of role players. I think that going into training camp, you can flip a coin and can make a case for really any of the guys, but my money is on Austin Reaves because he already has some advantages being an incumbent player. It looks very clear that he's just continuing to build his skill set as a player, where now he's been a main star on the World Cup team. Now can he be an all-star like Darwin Ham projects? I'm in wait and see mode here, but I think that he's proven that he can do so many different things.”

Later on, Medina further went on to say this about Austin Reaves…

“He's a complete basketball player, and he'll make adjustments when opponents challenge him. His first two seasons in the league, they tried to beat him up by being physical. He was able to absorb that adding some strength, and I think this season he’s going to have a lot more attention with double teams and opponents taking them more seriously. But I think that he'll adjust his game because, one, he has the luxury of playing with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but two, he makes the right basketball play, and three has so many different skill sets that he can rely on that it's not just incumbent on him on whether he can score or not. So circle him as someone that can really seriously contend for most improved player and that’s saying a lot, because Austin Reaves has already improved tremendously during his short career with the Lakers.”

How has Austin Reaves emerged as a star on this Lakers roster?

It wasn’t until the latter stages of the regular season, when the Lakers dealt with various injury woes to their starters, where Reaves saw his role on the team increase. The Oklahoma alum ensured he took full advantage of this opportunity, putting the league on notice and showing them exactly who he is – an up-and-coming star.

According to Statmuse, he averaged 13.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG and 3.4 APG, shooting 52.9 percent from the field, while also converting 39.8 percent of his shots from deep, earning him the nickname ‘Hillbilly Kobe’. He quickly established himself as a starting-level guard, going on to feature from the outset in all 16 of the Lakers post-season games, averaging 16.9 PPG, 4.4 RPG and 4.6 APG on an improved 46.4 percent shooting from the field and 44.3 percent, a career-best, from behind the line in the process.

As a result, he earned a place in Team USA’s FIBA World Cup squad, and yet again proved why he deserved the call-up. In their run to the bronze medal match, Reaves contributed 13.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists in only 21.9 minutes of action, shooting an incredibly efficient 63 percent from the field, and 50 percent from deep, per FIBA.

Read more: Top 5 rookies to watch in the 2023-24 NBA season

With Reaves expected to take a further leap in his development next season, he could be the outright third option behind James and Davis on a star-studded roster that now runs two-to-three men deep at each position on the court. Should he continue on his projected upward trajectory, don’t be surprised if the 25-year-old finds himself in contention to pick up some individual accolades along the way, with All-Star honors not entirely out of reach. Nevertheless, all focus will be on what noise this roster can make in the Western Conference, with the hopes that together, this loaded Lakers squad can compete for the coveted NBA title.