"Good move for Lakers" - LeBron James' ex-teammate believes Austin Reaves can standout coming off bench
Back on July 1, 2023, Austin Reaves signed a four-year $12.4 million deal with the LA Lakers after an impressive sophomore season. However, his shooting efficiency has gone down this season (from 52.9% to 46.5% shooting), resulting in Reaves coming off the bench.
Interestingly, LeBron James' ex-teammate Danny Green supported this move when he spoke on FanDuel's "Run It Back."
"I think it's a good move for the Lakers," Green said. "With the ball handling of D'Angelo Russell, you got LeBron James on the ball, you don't need too many guys on the ball on the first unit. I think this gives him more freedom, it gives them a spark off the bench, another aggressor, offensively off the bench."
"So it's better for him, you pick and choose and have more opportunities for his spots and it's better for their team collectively. It seems to be working out. I'm assuming they're going to keep it going from here on out until things seem broken," Green added.
From Green's comments, he thinks it will benefit the Lakers the most as it gives D'Angelo Russell and LeBron James more room to operate with the ball in their hands. The team's second unit receives a stable offensive punch in Reaves while allowing the Lakers guard to get back to his rhythm from last season.
This move also allows more offensive looks for Reaves, as he will lead the bench unit when he's on the floor.
This season, Austin Reaves is averaging 13.7 points (46.5% shooting, including 31.3% from 3-point range), 4.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.
LA Lakers coach Darvin Ham talks about moving Austin Reaves to the bench
According to Bleacher Report's Adam Wells, LA Lakers coach Darvin Ham spoke about the reasoning behind the move to place Austin Reaves as part of the team's second unit.
"It was just a realignment," Ham said. "If anybody remembers those great San Antonio teams where everyone in the world knew Manu [Ginobili] was a starter."
"But sometimes to balance out your lineup, you have to put a player of his magnitude in a reserve role so now when the starters go sit down and take their break, you're not totally falling off a cliff. You have balance in the second unit," Ham added.
Balancing the Lakers' lineup rotations was the main intention of Darvin Ham, as it gives the team a different look with more versatility in ball handling and offensive opportunities. Ham reassured that it was more of "a realignment" than a demotion, even comparing it to Manu Ginobili's tenure with the San Antonio Spurs.
The move was done when the Lakers came off a three-game losing streak, falling to a 3-5 record. Since the change in lineups, the Lakers have slowly climbed back to the winning column with a 12-9 record. They are now in seventh place in the Western Conference standings.