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The emergence of Austin Reaves on the Los Angeles Lakers was largely unexpected.
After his rookie season during the 2021-2022 season, expectations for Reaves were low.
He was expected to just be a role player for the Lakers who wouldn’t amount to much.
However, after a strong playoff performance last year, the Lakers signed Reaves to a four-year $56 million dollar deal.
As Bill Simmons has recently pointed out, he’s the one that got away for the San Antonio Spurs.
San Antonio not maxing Reaves gets dumber every week. Congrats on saving that cap space for Cedi Osman and Cam Payne.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) August 20, 2023
Simmons mentions that the Spurs had an opportunity to give Reaves a similar contract, which would have paired him with Victor Wembanyama.
They didn’t, and now he’s tied to the Lakers for the next four seasons.
Reaves also had an opportunity to be drafted by the Detroit Pistons, but he declined, wanting to play for another team.
The Lakers signed him, which has yielded significant results.
During last season’s playoffs, Reaves averaged 16.9 points per game, 4.6 assists, and 4.4 rebounds.
His role expanded during the playoffs, given he only started in 22 regular season games.
With his new contract in mind, Reaves is slated to be a nearly every game starter for the Lakers, playing alongside Lebron James and Anthony Davis.
Will he take another step forward this year, proving that he belongs in this ‘Big Three?’
The Lakers will look to re-stake their claim in the Western Conference after falling to the Denver Nuggets.
If they want any chance at returning to the NBA Finals, they’ll need to go through the likes of the Nuggets and Golden State Warriors.
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