Austin Reaves “Is HIM” in series victory over Grizzlies: What impressive individual and team run can mean for free-agency
Second-year guard Austin Reaves of the Los Angeles Lakers has established himself as one of the most improved players in the league, nearly doubling his points and assists.
For the regular season, he averaged 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists and in the last 18 games of the season, Reaves averaged 18.7 ppg and 5.8 ast on 57% from the field, and 43% from three.
The Los Angeles Lakers had a record of 35-29 when Austin Reaves played, and in the last 10 games of the season, all starts by Reaves, the Lakers went 8-2 to finish out the regular season.
At various times during the season, due to injuries and roster imbalance with the plethora of somewhat undersized guards, he has played practically every position.
The most infamous was the Christmas loss against the Mavericks, where Darvin Ham trotted out a lineup of Reaves, Lonnie Walker IV, Russell Westbrook, Dennis Schroder, and Patrick Beverley, making him the tallest person at 6’5.
But perhaps the most impressive thing about the player is that he has proven himeself as a capable point guard. As a wing, he has established himself as a good shooter and aggressive driver to the rim, with an uncanny knack for drawing fouls.
He is deceptively quick and has sneaky ballhandling skills, and despite being listed as 197 pounds, is stronger than he looks.
As a lead guard, he manages the floor well and looks to make smart plays in crunch time, whether passing to LeBron or AD, or taking the shot himself. He continues his reputation as a feisty, sometimes irritating defender and is not afraid to sacrifice his body on the court diving for loose balls or drawing charges.
Reaves has the support and confidence of his teammates, most importantly of LeBron James, who has taken him under his wing. Lonnie Walker IV, previously a starter, has completely fallen out of the rotation for the most part, other than garbage time or injury.
Malik Beasley was the starting shooting guard over Reaves after being acquired from the Utah Jazz, but after a late-season slump, became relegated to an instant-offense sniper off the bench, but has been a nonfactor in the playoffs to this point.
Up until Game 1 against Memphis, arguably Reaves’ signature game to date was a 35-point outburst in a victory against the Orlando Magic.
In a game in which LeBron was still out, the young, scrappy Magic were unrelenting, and Anthony Davis had a relatively subpar game as Reaves carried the team to victory.
He shot 9 for 14 from the field and 16 for 18 from the foul line, joining Lou Williams as the only other player in franchise history to hit at least 16 free throws in a game off the bench.