Player Spotlight: Austin Reaves

The NBA season just started last week, but Austin Reaves has been playing really well so far!

In the Lakers' 4 games so far this season, Austin Reaves is averaging:

34 Points

9.7 Assists

7.7 Rebounds

1.3 Steals

56.6% of shots made

He even had a 51-point game!

These are amazing MVP-level stats, but obviously, it is a very small sample size of just 4 games out of the 82-game season.

The reason Reaves is getting the opportunity to put up these stats is that LeBron has not played yet this season due to injury, and Luka Doncic is also injured now. With LeBron and Luka injured, Reaves is proving how good he really is when he has the chance.

But you may be thinking that playing amazingly in just 4 games without LeBron doesn't mean much, but this is nothing new.

Last season, in 9 games without LeBron, Reaves averaged:

27.9 Points

8.3 Assists

6.6 Rebounds

1.4 Steals

49% of Shots made

These are also amazing stats, up there with the very best NBA players.

Obviously, LeBron isn’t holding him back because he is one of the best in the league, but when Reaves is the one running the offense, you really see how much more he’s capable of. I would say he is an all-star-level player, but he just doesn't always get the chance to prove it when he is playing alongside players like LeBron and Luka.

This feels like a similar situation to when Jalen Brunson played as a backup to Luka on the Mavericks. People knew that Brunson was a good player, but nobody got a chance to see just how amazing he was until he got the chance to be the main guy with a much bigger role on the Knicks. (Obviously not saying Reaves is on the same level as Brunson)

It will be very interesting to see how the Lakers use Reaves when LeBron and Luka come back from injury, and if he can continue to have strong performances.

That's all for now, folks! ✌️