Austin Reaves has gotten better every season since signing with the Los Angeles Lakers as an undrafted free agent, but he’s reached star status during the 2024-25 campaign.
Reaves has become a legitimate third option on a title contender alongside Luka Doncic and LeBron James, and has every reason to feel confident in the Lakers’ championship odds.
It’s almost unprecedented for an undrafted player like Reaves to rise to this level, but he’s proved all his doubters wrong and should be a critical piece in the upcoming postseason run.
Former Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy discussed Reaves’ humble beginnings and when he knew the guard was destined for great things in the NBA, via All The Smoke:
“I saw that from day one. Day one. Look, I told this story. The first time I met Austin he was playing for our Summer League team. He went undrafted, he was playing for our Summer League team and I had never met him but I saw clips of him playing in college. So people think that this is just now. If you go back and you watch a couple of his games at Oklahoma, he got some shit with him. Back then, I was like, ‘Hold up, man.’ Just the chip on his shoulder.
“And so I saw it. I went to the Summer League game and he wasn’t shooting the ball. And it’s crazy if you asked Austin today. It was halftime, I walked over and say, ‘Hey man, come here.’ Never met him and I said, ‘You wanna make this team? You need to shoot the f—– ball. Like bro, you out here shoot the ball, man. You wanna make this team.’
“So that second half he played well, but when Summer League was over and I had a chance to get in the gym with him…right away I saw it. And it wasn’t so much his skill or his shotmaker it was just his inner belief. That kid had a superb chip on his shoulder.”
Early on, it was apparent that Reaves should’ve been drafted but it worked out for him and the Lakers as he developed into a solid role player before taking incremental leaps the following years. Los Angeles’ scouting department is often credited for finding Reaves, but the star guard also should be praised for his work ethic and drive to become the best basketball player he can be.
Austin Reaves expresses appreciation for LeBron James
Like Phil Handy, LeBron James identified Austin Reaves as someone who could really play at the professional level. James has empowered Reaves over the years and the latter expressed his appreciation for the Lakers superstar.
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