Austin Reaves dazzled in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 125-109 win over the San Antonio Spurs at Crypto.com Arena on Monday. Reaves put up 30 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals to lead the Lakers to a comfortable win, and Stephen A. Smith has been very impressed by what he has seen from the guard.
Reaves has stepped up in LeBron James’ absence, averaging 30.8 points on 52.9% shooting from the field in his last four games. His recent play has led to Smith believing that the former Oklahoma star has a case to be regarded as the best third option in the NBA.
“You can make a legitimate argument right now that Austin Reaves is the best third option in the entire NBA,” Smith said on First Take. “The way that he’s ballin’. He looks great. This brother can play and testament to JJ Redick and his staff because clearly his game has elevated.”
“Austin Reaves is the best third-option in the entire NBA.” 😯 @stephenasmith and @ShannonSharpe on what they’re seeing from Luka Doncic and the Lakers 👀 pic.twitter.com/NnD2hHSesl
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 18, 2025
Reaves certainly is making a strong case to be regarded as that. The 26-year-old is averaging 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.2 steals per game in the 2024-25 season.
The 26-year-old guard has also shown during this recent stretch that he is fully capable of upping those averages if the team needs him to. He is able to seamlessly transition into a bigger role, a quality not too many have.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Lakers will need Reaves to step up again in their next game against the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday at 10 PM ET. He had put 37 points against them last Friday, and you probably shouldn’t bet against him having another great outing.