Austin Reaves has broken out into a legitimate star during the 2025-26 season and as a result the Los Angeles Lakers are now considered one of the more dangerous teams to face come playoff time.
Reaves has improved every single year he’s been in the NBA, but has taken his game to new heights after moving up as the Lakers’ second option offensively. While Luka Doncic is the engine of the offense, Reaves is a perfect co-star who can get his own shot or playmake for the rest of the roster.
One aspect of Reaves’ game that makes him such an efficient scorer is his ability to draw fouls and get to the free throw line. In an appearance on Mind the Game, Reaves discussed how and why he’s able to draw fouls so often:
“I think that’s an art in itself. And obviously, everyone’s going to be like, it’s foul baiting. I try to use all of that in the sense of like, to get me open. I don’t want to go and get fouled at 17 feet and throw a shot up at the rim. Because if I do a low pick up and you have your hands down there, you’re going to be scared to foul me, so you’re going to back off. And if you don’t, you’re going to foul me. It’s more to get to where I want to go than it is anything.”
Reaves has an excellent handle where he’s able to weave or get by defenders, and often times they’re forced to foul before he gets all the way to the basket. When he does get into the painted area, Reaves has a good feel for when to speed up or slow down and his improved physique allows him to absorb contact better when going up for shots.
Reaves has become so good at drawing fouls that he’s gotten stars like Tyrese Haliburton studying his tape looking for tricks. The trickle down effect of Reaves’ foul drawing is that he and the rest of the Lakers are often in the bonus, so they can manufacture points if shots aren’t falling.
Once the playoffs come around, fouls will be harder to come by but Reaves has proven he can make an impact offensively without them.
Austin Reaves reflects on NBA dream
It’s hard to believe Reaves was an undrafted free agent in hindsight, but the indicators were there in college where he displayed his on-ball chops. In fact, Reaves recalled a conversation with his former head coach Lon Kruger that made him truly believe he could be an NBA player one day.
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