3 goals for Austin Reaves in his rookie year with the Los Angeles Lakers

Goal 1: Play a meaningful role on the Lakers’ defense.

It’s no secret that Los Angeles has performed poorly on defense during the preseason. The Lakers did well on guarding the perimeter the last few years, but lost the players that gave them that reputation during the offseason. In fact, Los Angeles lost a lot of players during the offseason and has put together an almost brand new lineup.

That’s where Reaves comes in. First off, let’s be realistic. These are goals for a rookie that wasn’t drafted, but has played well during the preseason. He’s not a phenom that NBA scouts were after, but the Lakers are able to develop talent. Austin has been with the team for two months and look how far he’s come already.

Los Angeles needs help on defense and if Reaves wants to truly win over the hearts of Lakers fans, it’s going to come in the plays that shifts the momentum to Los Angeles’ hands. Alex Caruso greatly boosted the Lakers’ defense during his time there, and now the torch has been passed to Austin.

In Tuesday’s loss to the Warriors, Austin finished with two steals and one block on the defensive end. There’s a lot for Los Angeles to build on there, but that’s the beauty of it. It’s just the preseason and Reaves is already turning heads.

If Austin can check in to regular-season games and have a couple of plays like that one, he’s not going to have to worry about his future. He’s the annoying defender that’s all over the place, but that’s exactly what the Lakers need.