Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Austin Reaves is one of the biggest risers in ESPN's annual NBA Rank series. After checking in at No. 60 in 2025, the 28-year-old climbed all the way to No. 37 after a 2025-26 season during which he overcame injuries to turn in a career year.
Though it doesn't quite justify the Lakers' massive financial investment, Reaves' rise in the series acts as a reminder that what he'll become matters more than what he's been—and that he's improved every year he's been in the NBA.
Reaves re-signed with the Lakers on a four-year, $180 million contract earlier this summer. It was a colossal raise from the four-year, $48 million deal he'd previously been playing on, as well as an endorsement of his ability to be a true second option next to franchise player Luka Doncic. ESPN seems to think he's more capable than his critics have let on of living up to expectations.
Dave McMenamin of ESPN offered an explanation for Reaves' 23-spot jump and what he still needs to do to officially reach All-Star status in 2026-27.
"The 6-5 combo guard has shown his ability to make plays for himself and others at a high level. The next step in him reaching All-Star status will be his continued improvement defensively and having health on his side like in 2023-24 when he played all 82 games."
Reaves' continued improvement on defense and health are unavoidable factors in deciding his and the Lakers' ceiling, but the progress he's made already offers reason to believe in his ability to deliver.
Austin Reaves climbs 23 spots from No. 60 to No. 37 in ESPN's NBA rank
Assuming Reaves plays like the 37th-best player in the NBA this season, he'd actually be closer to worth his contract than one might think. Despite how massive his deal is, he's actually in line to be the 35th-highest paid player in the Association.
With this in mind, if Reaves can live up to the hype of being a top-40 player in 2026-27, then he'd be worth his cap hit and the Lakers could proceed with optimism about his contract.
There's ample reason to believe that he'll succeed—starting with what he achieved in 2025-26. Reaves is coming off of an excellent season during which he averaged 23.3 points, 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 2.3 three-point field goals made on .490/.360/.871 shooting.
New challenges await, but 2025-26 marked a fourth consecutive season during which Reaves increased his scoring averages on both per-game and per-36 bases.
Austin Reaves has improved every year he's been in the NBA
Most impressive of all: Reaves has increased his scoring average without sacrificing his efficiency. In fact, his field goal and free throw percentages in 2025-26 were above his career averages, while his three-point mark was just 0.8 percent lower.
Scaling his production and impact to an All-Star level won't be easy, but Los Angeles has invested in more than what Reaves has done—they're betting on what he'll continue to do: Improve year over year.
That's quite intriguing considering Reaves is already one of the better isolation scorers and all-around offensive players in the NBA. In 2025-26, for instance, Reaves ranked in the 95th percentile in self-created shot making efficiency and the 92nd percentile in off-ball shot making efficiency, per Basketball Index.
He also ranked in the 91st percentile in one on one shot making, the 98th percentile in on-ball gravity, and the 89th percentile in off-ball gravity.
On the other end of the floor, Reaves ranked in the 97th percentile in off-ball chaser defense and the 68th percentile in perimeter isolation defense. He still gets caught up on screens far too easily and struggles to stay in front of slashers, but he's gone from a net negative to a strong team defender.
As the NBA Rank series suggested, the Lakers have simply bet on Reaves being able to stay the course and continue to improve season after season. If he does, his contract will be an afterthought.
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