Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves has steadily improved each year he’s been in the NBA, but he appears to be making another leap during the 2024-25 season.
After the Lakers traded away D’Angelo Russell to the Brooklyn Nets, head coach JJ Redick elevated Reaves as the team’s new full-time point guard. Reaves grew up playing point guard and did so in college before being asked to score more to help his teams.
Now, Reaves has a chance to return to his roots and contribute as a playmaker for Los Angeles. So far, the results have been positive, as the Lakers’ offense has shown signs of improvement, and Reaves has looked confident and comfortable in his new role.
While Reaves is approaching his prime years, he already has an idea of what he’d like to do once he retires from the league via The Backyard Podcast:
“Definitely playing a lot of golf. I wanna actually – I want to – I’ve thought about that. I just want to take two years and see if I could play professional somewhere. I don’t care if it’s like – I don’t care if it’s like Korn Ferry. There’s like an Asian Tour. I want to take two years and see – like challenge myself – to see if I can get that good. I’m obviously good now, but you have to be a different level of consistently good. And I want to see if I can get there.”
Reaves is well-known for being a golf addict, spending most of his time on courses whenever there aren’t games or practices. Reaves has already tried his hand at professional golf, playing in the American Century Championship Golf Tournament this past summer, where he placed 13th overall.
Golf is a popular hobby for NBA players who sometimes want to get away from the hardwood. Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry is another avid golfer who has competed in tournaments, as well as former Laker and teammate D’Angelo Russell, who used to play with Reaves often.
Reaves is regarded as a great golfer, though becoming a professional requires much more time and dedication. However, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Reaves make the jump and stick as a professional golfer in the future.
Austin Reaves talks about Lakers’ growth as of late
It’s been an up-and-down year for the Lakers, but Austin Reaves believes he and the team have grown and are continuing to improve as the regular season goes on.
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