Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves had already established himself as a legitimate NBA player the past few years, but he took his game to another level during the 2024-25 season.
Head coach JJ Redick empowered Reaves to handle more offensive responsibility, and he delivered with his best statistical season to date. Reaves had a strong second half of the regular season following the Lakers’ blockbuster trade for Luka Doncic, showing legitimate All-Star upside as a scorer and playmaker.
Unfortunately, Reaves struggled in the Lakers’ playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves though it’s fair to assume it was due to the toe injury he was playing through.
Despite the early exit, Reaves still looks back at the season fondly and expressed how much fun he had playing alongside his teammates.
“I had a lot of fun,” Reaves said in his exit interview. “Forget the basketball, I enjoyed every single day going to work and being around these guys, the coaching staff, training staff, weight staff, everybody in the organization. From game one to game 82 and now, I just had a lot of fun. I always speak about how growing up playing with your best friends in high school, sometimes nothing will ever top that because you’ve been able to play high school basketball with guys you grew up with your whole life.
“But this is right up there with all of that. I really enjoyed it and like I said, I had fun regardless of statistics or anything. I enjoyed going to work every single day and putting in the work and going to battle with these guys.”
Reaves has been lauded for his work ethic in the gym and his character, so it’s no surprise to hear him talk about those things when reflecting back on the season. Reaves is a competitor at heart who plays hard on both ends of the floor, and it sounds like he truly enjoyed being able to compete at a higher level this past year.
This summer is a pivotal one for the Lakers as they try to build a championship-caliber roster with Luka Doncic and LeBron James leading the way. However, Reaves should be considered a roster building block as well and should be in line for another strong year next season.
Austin Reaves unlikely to be traded this offseason
Austin Reaves is under contract for the 2025-26 season but is extension-eligible this summer. While there’s been no word about whether or not he’d sign an extension, the early reporting is the Lakers are unlikely to trade Reaves this offseason.
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