4. Austin Reaves
Austin Reaves has played a much bigger role than expected this season. He got minutes early on in the season due to injuries in the backcourt and he quickly proved he deserved a spot in the rotation.
The Lakers found him on the undrafted free-agent market, so he is playing on a very cheap two-way contract. He is one of the best players playing on a two-way deal in the league and that makes him a valuable piece for at least next season.
Reaves mainly makes the list because he is one of the only Lakers under 24 years of age and he has shown enough in his rookie season to prove that he can be a valuable role player as he continues to improve. His averages of 5.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game don’t jump off the stat sheet, but he has a high basketball IQ and does the little things necessary to win games.
Those averages this season are also pretty comparable to Alex Caruso’s in the regular season the Lakers won the championship two seasons ago when he averaged 5.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. It was easy to see how much a player like Caruso contributed to that championship run and Reaves has the tools to grow into that same type of role for this team in the near future.
Those stats also don’t speak to how good he has been on defense, although he is not a lock down quite yet. He was called out and scored on by Reggie Jackson in the last defensive possession in their recent loss against the Clippers, but the fact that he was on the court in that moment speaks to how much the Lakers trust their rookie guard.
On other hand, one of the best moments of the Lakers season was when Reaves hit the game-winning 3-pointer to beat the Mavericks in mid-December, and that play proved he has the ability to step up in big moments. That game and play helped entrench him as a rotation player.
His surprising rookie performance could entice some teams to see if the Lakers would be willing to let go of their young role player for a more proven commodity. However, any deal to get rid of Reaves this early into his Lakers career would be sure to upset fans and would hurt the team now and even more in the future.