Austin Reaves: Potential
Austin Reaves actually leads the team in on/off net rating this season. His overall play has been fine this season as he has shown moments of legitimate promise with the Lakers while also taking some of the bumps and bruises of being a rookie in this league.
If there is one thing the Lakers have been really good at over the last few years it is finding talent like Reaves and turning them into valuable rotation players. Reaves seems to have all the makings of being that next diamond in the rough for the team.
This might be a controversial take (maybe it isn’t, who knows) but Reaves may already have more promise than Horton-Tucker. THT has more physical tools and potentially has a higher ceiling, but when it comes to true potential, Reaves is the player that fans should be excited about.
Heck, he already is playing better than THT, that is hard to refute.
Is Reaves someone who the Lakers can build around as a foundational young piece of the franchise? Probably not. Is he someone who can be a really good role player on a future title-contending team? Absolutely.
Let’s just hope they don’t trade him.