The Los Angeles Lakers have been able to manage this season without LeBron James and Luka Doncic in lineup with Austin Reaves stepping up his game to make up for the lack of star power.
After averaging 20 points last season, Reaves logged a career-high 51 points and followed it up with a career-high 16-assist game and a game-winner, taking his game to another level.
Reaves was originally an undrafted player when he signed with the Lakers in 2021 and has developed into an All-Star caliber talent. To demonstrate how far he has come in the NBA, Rui Hachimura admitted that he did not know about Reaves until he crossed up Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2023 shortly after they became teammates, as seen on Spectrum SportsNet:
“I am not gonna lie, three years ago when I got traded here, I honestly didn’t know about him before,” Hachimura said. “He was injured I think that time. And I think he came back on a game against Milwaukee. I think I remember, he made a move on Giannis around the top and he made a layup. I am like, ‘Oh OK, he got it, you know?’”
When Reaves played in 2021 under former championship head coach Frank Vogel, he was a scrappy guard who provided energy to a veteran team. With James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook on the roster at the time, he did not have to score, but his game evolved quickly.
Once Westbrook moved on, the 27-year-old took on more ball-handling duties and has taken massive strides as an on-ball creator and off-ball shooter. To see him put up 51 and 41 points on back-to-back nights early this season is something no one could have foreseen.
Hachimura has gotten to witness it the last few years, and Reaves put him on notice in that Feb. 2023 game against the Bucks when the guard, again, stepped up his game with key players out of the lineup.
JJ Redick feels ‘very comfortable’ with Austin Reaves making late-game decisions for Lakers
With LeBron James sidelined to start the year due to injury and Luka Doncic missing the previous three games, many smelled disaster for the Lakers. However, Austin Reaves spearheaded this opportunity and led L.A. to a 2-1 record, including a recent game-winner against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
He is beginning to blossom as a player and looks ready to take on whatever workload is necessary to win games. Head coach JJ Redick recognizes that and acknowledged his comfort level with Reaves making late-game decisions for the team.
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