Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves appears to have leveled up again in his fifth NBA season.
In four games this past week, Reaves led the Lakers to a 3-1 record despite the team being without a number of key players, including LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
In those four games, Reaves averaged 29 points, 3.3 rebounds, 9.0 assists and 1.5 steals. The 27-year-old is off to an exceptional start this season as overall in seven games, he is putting up even better numbers at 31.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 9.3 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 48.9% from the field and 34.4% from 3-point range.
While his co-stars have missed time, Reaves has been in the Lakers’ lineup every game and is the biggest reason why the team currently sits at 5-2. He has done a fantastic job of not only scoring when L.A. needs it but also getting his teammates involved as well.
Reaves is putting the league on notice, but one person who isn’t surprised is Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra. He was an assistant on Team USA when Reaves competed in the FIBA World Cup in the summer of 2023 and came away impressed after getting to know him.
“I really enjoyed my time working with him as an assistant coach on the World Cup team. What an experience that was, and it was humbling,” Spoelstra said before the Heat’s game against the Lakers on Sunday. “The FIBA game was different and I think that was really important for all of us to go through that as a coaching staff to prepare us for the Olympics the next year. But Austin, he was a joy. I mean, he brings a gym to life. He was a crowd favorite over there and had some great moments. He’s a competitor as well and you have to love that about him. What he’s doing this year is really remarkable.”
It’s unlikely that Reaves will be able to maintain this level of production, especially now that Doncic is back and putting up monster numbers himself. But it’s clear that in his fifth season, the guard has taken another leap and is projected to earn a big payday next summer because of it. Spoelstra isn’t the only coach that is noticing, but it will be interesting to see if his Heat get in the mix for Reaves after these comments.
JJ Redick trusts Austin Reaves in late-game situations
Austin Reaves’ incredible week included hitting a buzzer-beater against the Minnesota Timberwolves and JJ Redick spoke about how much trust he has in the Lakers guard in late-game situations.
“That guy is gonna show up in the big moments. Not surprised. He’s done that many times in his career. He’s done that many times since I’ve been his coach. I feel very comfortable with him making decisions at late game,” Redick said.
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