The Los Angeles Lakers had an extremely disappointing 2021-22 season with very few bright spots to get excited about. Perhaps the brightest bright spot was rookie Austin Reaves, who the Lakers signed as an undrafted free agent before the season.
Reaves instantly won the fans over with his Hillbilly Kobe nickname and he continued to win them over with his play on the court. The one thing that the Lakers have been great at in recent years is scouring back-end talent and Reaves was yet another example of this eye for talent.
Overall, it may not seem like Reaves had that great of a season. The rookie averaged 7.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists while averaging 23.2 minutes per game in his 61 games played. Those certainly are not numbers that will land you on the All-Rookie team.
However, if voters looked at Austin Reaves’ efficiency numbers — courtesy of Basketball Index — then they would probably have a different opinion on the rookie.
Austin Reaves' efficiency report card from his @The_BBall_Index Player Profile this season
— Cranjis McBasketball (@Tim_NBA) April 23, 2022
Good just about everywhere but that 1 area you'd want him to be good at as an off-ball guy (and the area he did most this year). pic.twitter.com/rFXblVInMD
Reaves was one of the best players in the NBA in isolation as he was in the 99th percentile in stable points per possession. He also ranked in the 90th or above percentile in transition and as the pick and roll man.
His effective field-goal percentage was better than 72% of the league and his true-shooting percentage was better than 84% of the league. These are all elite marks for Reaves, which proves that there is more than meets the eye with the box score.
Reaves looks like an All-NBA player when you compare him to someone like Russell Westbrook, who we all know is one of the most inefficient players in the league. Some basketball fans look at the box score and think Westbrook is still bringing value. However, it is clear that Reaves does more for the Lakers to win basketball games than Westbrook.
Russell Westbrook's efficiency report card from his @The_BBall_Index Player Profile this season.https://t.co/gcqpdR4AOc pic.twitter.com/4MnaRIROD4
— Cranjis McBasketball (@Tim_NBA) April 23, 2022
Once Austin Reaves figures out his spot-up three-point shooting he is going to be a huge role player for the Lakers.
As Cranjis mentioned in the initial tweet, the one area that Reaves could improve from his rookie season is the one thing he has to do the most with LeBron James: his spot-up shooting. Reaves shot 31.7% from beyond the arc last season and was in the 40th percentile as a spot-up shooter.
This is something that can be improved with the work in the gym in the offseason. We saw Alex Caruso turn from a non-threat from beyond the arc to someone who shot 40.1% from beyond the arc in his last season with the Lakers.
Plus, Reaves is more than just a spot-up shooter. While that is mostly what he will do with LeBron on the floor, this shows that the Lakers can have more faith in him being someone who can initiate offense not just for himself, but for his teammates as well.
If Reaves put up this good of numbers in his rookie season just imagine how well he can progress as a pro with more mileage under his belt. That is something to be excited about as a Laker fan.