Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves’ NBA journey is quite an incredible one. Reaves went undrafted in 2021 but has now established himself as a key piece for the Los Angeles Lakers.
This 2024-25 season has been the best of Reaves’ career, as he is averaging 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game. The 26-year-old’s exploits have led to him getting some high praise, and ESPN’s Dave McMenamin has shared a bold claim made by a Western Conference executive about the guard.
“He’s the best undrafted player since Ben Wallace, and that guy’s a Hall of Famer,” the executive told ESPN.
Wallace might just be the greatest undrafted player in NBA history. He won an NBA championship in 2004 and was named Defensive Player of the Year four times, tied for the most in league history.
Wallace also made four All-Star teams, five All-NBA teams and six All-Defensive teams in his career. He was deservingly inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2021.
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The Lakers would be delighted if Reaves ends up being half as impactful as Wallace was. As for already being the best undrafted player since Wallace, he has some competition.
The likes of Fred VanVleet and Brad Miller made at least one All-Star team, something Reaves has yet to accomplish. Lu Dort and Naz Reid, meanwhile, are two others who are making a name for themselves now like the Lakers guard. It’s a lot harder to pick a winner here than you might think.
Related: Lakers Legend James Worthy Compares Austin Reaves to Iconic Hall of Famer