Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves is coming off of what was truly his first season as a full-time contributor. He went from 64 games played and 22 starts in 2022-23 to 82 games played with 57 starts in 2023-24. And this year, he is almost certain to start in just about every game he plays with new head coach JJ Redick at the helm.
Reaves was benched for a portion of the season due to a slow start that saw him averaging 13.1 points on 41.6% from the field and 27.8% from three in the first eight games of the year. He returned to the starting lineup full time on Jan. 3, and with proper utilization and his legs under him, he ascended.
He averaged 16.4 points and 5.9 assists on 49.2% from the field and 37.3% from beyond the arc in the last 48 games of the regular season, establishing himself as not only one of the Lakers’ best all-around players, but a legitimate on-ball threat capable of running an NBA offense.
However, the early part of the season lasted in the minds of the NBA world, leading to a six-spot drop in ESPN’s annual NBARank list for 2024-25. Reaves went from No. 66 to No. 72 in this year’s edition:
Coming off an arduous summer playing for Team USA at the FIBA World Cup, Reaves took some time to find his groove last season after bursting onto the scene in the 2023 playoffs. His slight slip in NBA Rank mirrors his shooting efficiency from Year 2 (52.9% from the field and 39.8% from 3) to Year 3 (48.6%/36.7%) and L.A.’s abbreviated postseason run after being ousted in the first round, but it fails to recognize Reave’s improvement as a playmaker and credit him for playing all 82 games. He should be back on the climb after this season. — McMenamin
Reaves is the first Laker to appear on the 2024-25 edition of the NBARank list, which is compiled by a panel of 150 experts voting on upwards of 15,000 individual player matchups to determine the 100 best players in the NBA heading into the season.
There are no other Lakers on the 100-51 section of the list, but L.A. is guaranteed to have two players in the top 50 with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Davis and James ranked No. 10 and No. 9, respectively, last season, but the former should see a bump after an elite 2023-24 campaign.
Austin Reaves’ ankle feeling great
Austin Reaves wasn’t available for the team’s first preseason win against the Milwaukee Bucks as he was held out due to an ankle injury. However, it wasn’t deemed serious as Reaves was initially listed as day-to-day with the injury.
After a recent practice, he stated his ankle is feeling good. “Great, feeling good,” Reaves said.
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