In a win over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night, Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves finished with zero turnovers in a game for just the second time this season.
It was a welcome sight for Lakers fans who have been concerned about Reaves' ballooning turnover rate so far in 2026-27. AR is averaging 4.1 giveaways per game this season, a career high and much higher than his 3.0 per game figure in 2025-26.
Things got especially messy for Reaves in back-to-back road games against the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors back on October 28th and 30th, in which AR committed eight turnovers apiece in both contests.
But here's the thing: Lakers fans shouldn't be overly worried about Reaves' turnovers right now. There's a reason for it, and with that, an expectation that his turnover rate will decline as the season moves along.
Austin Reaves is turning the ball over more because he's never been a full-time second option
We all have to remind ourselves that Reaves has never been a full-time Robin on an NBA team. He's never been asked to handle the ball or carry this much of an offensive workload on a nightly basis. Sure, there've been plenty of games in the past wherein Austin has been the No. 2 or even the No. 1 option due to injuries to Luka Doncic or LeBron James, but he's never been expected to deliver like that night after night after night.
That's why I'm here to point out that Reaves will need some time to adjust to his new ball-handling workload. He's never had to bring the ball up against pressure this frequently. Frankly, I think AR does best as a combo guard who doesn't bring the ball up the floor, but rather receives the rock midway through the possession for the main action, whether that's a screen-and-roll at the top of the key or from the wing at an angle.
Would the Lakers (and Reaves) benefit from adding another ball-handler to the trio of Reaves, Doncic, and Sexton, allowing those guys (Reaves and Sexton mostly) to get more reps off the ball as scoring guards, rather than as initiators? I think so, but that's a conversation for another day.
For now, I think it's important for Lakers fans to acknowledge that as Reaves gets more and more used to his new (and enhanced) role as this team's solidified No. 2, he'll figure out ways to conserve himself more during games so that he's not committing careless or fatigue-based turnovers while handling the ball.
Reaves is simply way too good of a dribbler, and his basketball IQ is too high, to be turning the ball over this much. It's a matter of feeling overworked and overburdened at the moment compared to his past responsibilities. Give him some time, and things will return to equilibrium.
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