"I knew what I was capable of doing"- Austin Reaves's bet on himself helped Lakers sign him to massive $56,000,000 contract
LA Lakers guard Austin Reaves' has scripted one of the best underdog stories in recent memory. He bet on himself after choosing to go undrafted to be able to sign with LA. According to Reaves, Detroit could've drafted him as a late second-round pick, but this agency and the player opted to sign with the Lakers.
Two years in, Reaves went from a two-way player to becoming an integral part of their rotation to signing a standard deal. He was their starter in the playoffs and their third-best player behind Anthony Davis and LeBron James in the postseason.
Reaves outplayed his contract to an extent where he played himself into earning a four-year $56 million deal as a restricted free agent this summer. He looked back on this process during an appearance on the "All the Smoke" podcast, saying:
"Everything comes full circle. All I needed was an opportunity... And I knew what I was capable of doing. You know, the skillset, IQ, stuff like that. So it was really just about, my agency put me in a good position to have all of that. We could've gotten drafted 42nd to Detroit, but kind of declined that to put me in LA for a better spot."
Austin Reaves betting on himself with a storied franchise like LA Lakers was bigger than it seemed, but ideal. The Detroit Pistons were rebuilding and giving younger guys an opportunity, but it was a smaller market. The Lakers, meanwhile, had all the attention on them that summer after they added Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo, among others, to their roster.
They needed young players to surround their veterans, so Reaves found himself in the ideal situation with the Lakers. Reaves responded well to the spotlight in his rookie season itself. Meanwhile, LeBron James and Anthony Davis were also vocal about Reaves' talent, which all contributed to him securing a lucrative deal.
Click here to view Austin Reaves' comments on All The Smoke Podcast.
Austin Reaves enters third season with Lakers as a third option
There's little to no argument that Austin Reaves will be the LA Lakers' third option next season. That comes after the soon-to-be third-year guard went on a burst toward the end of the season and maintained his form in the playoffs.
Reaves dropped a career-high 35-point outing against the Orlando Magic on March 19th off the bench, helping the Lakers secure a win, despite Anthony Davis' struggles and LeBron James' absence. That game helped him secure a starting spot.
Since then, he averaged 19.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 6.1 assists, shooting on 58/46/90 splits. His scoring average was the third highest behind LeBron and AD during that period, while he was tied for most assists per game with the former.
Austin Reaves was the Lakers' best shooter, with a true shooting percentage of 68.7%, also the highest mark among guards last season. Reaves continued his run into the playoffs (his debut postseason), averaging 16.9 points and 4.6 assists, shooting on 46/44/90 splits.
He frequently played as a primary ball-handler and even closed several games. Those efforts have cemented his spot within the team as an undisputed starter and a third option for now.