What college did Austin Reaves go to? Education and more explored
Austin Reaves has arguably scripted one of the best underdog stories in the NBA in recent times. He went from an undrafted rookie out of Oklahoma to securing a starting guard role with a storied franchise like the LA Lakers. Reaves' journey has undoubtedly been inspiring.
We deep dive into his college career and education in this article. Reaves hails from Newark, Arkansas. He attended Cedar Ridge High School and achieved plenty of success as a high school player, winning consecutive Class 2A titles in his first two seasons.
In his senior year, he averaged 32.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists, leading his team to a Class 3A title. Furthermore, he was voted as the MVP of the state tournament. Reaves then began his college career with Wichita State, over offers from South Dakota State and Arkansas State.
Austin Reaves spent two injury-riddled years at Wichita before entering the transfer portal and switching to Oklahoma. Due to NCAA rules, he was a redshirt in his first season with Oklahoma.
Reaves resumed playing for the team in 2019-20, averaging 14.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists, across 31 games as a starter. He was voted as a Big-team All-Newcomer that season. He followed that with another excellent run in his senior year with Oklahoma, averaging 18.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists.
Austin Reaves made the First-Team All-Big 12 that season. He declared for the 2021 NBA Draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.
Austin Reaves bet on himself by declining the Detroit Pistons to draft him as a second-round pick
Austin Reaves gambled on his NBA career by letting go of the opportunity to be picked by the Detroit Pistons in the 2021 NBA Draft as a second-round pick.
He instead opted to accept the LA Lakers' offer of a two-way contract as an undrafted player.
Here's what Reaves said about this situation (h/t Basketball Network):
"The night before, the Lakers had called and said if for some reason I go undrafted, that they wanted to be the first place that said ‘hey, we’ve got a two-way for you.' And so going into the draft, we knew that I was gonna have a two-way contract in L.A., so we were in a good place with contract stuff and things like that."
Reaves impressed the Lakers' brass and leading players like LeBron James and Anthony Davis with his play. He took a while to break into the main rotation but was a reliable role player once he found his spot.
Fast forward into his second year in the league, Reaves cemented his place as the team's shooting guard in the second half of the season.
He's been a reliable option in the starting and closing lineup of the team ever since then and into the playoffs as well. Reaves made a significant leap in his second season, averaging 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists.
His numbers have improved in the postseason to 14.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists, having recorded three 20-point games already.
Austin Reaves has played his way into possibly earning a hefty sum in free agency this summer. He could earn up to $50 million in a multi-year deal in free agency.
For now, his focus will remain on helping the LA Lakers try and reach the Western Conference Finals.