One of the most challenging aspects of an NBA player's journey is learning how to balance an increase in offensive responsibility with what their team needs from them on defense. For a player who isn't a superstar, the challenge is perhaps even more difficult, as patience is minimal.
Austin Reaves is learning that the hard way in 2024-25, as the strides he's made on offense have been unfortunately balanced by his lack of progress on defense.
Reaves is in the midst of a statistical career year, averaging 18.3 points, 5.9 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 2.6 three-point field goals made per game. Unfortunately, his defense has been below par, with teams even targeting him in isolation.
According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Reaves spoke candidly about his shortcomings and the need for improvement following the Lakers' 118-97 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
"The first half was god-awful," said Reaves, who finished with a plus/minus of minus-25 in 32 minutes. "The second half I thought was better. But I can't allow that. I was just really, really bad on both sides of the ball tonight."
It won't amount to much until he actually makes noticeable changes, but Reaves being willing to publicly acknowledge his disappointing quality of play is a start.
Austin Reaves owns up to shortcomings on defense
Reaves must be commended for taking on a larger role on offense and thriving within it. He's put the team on his back with several explosive performances and maintained a steady level of production as both a scorer and facilitator overall.
That includes a recent 12-game stretch, during which time Reaves is averaging 20.7 points and 7.5 assists on .435/.372/.848 shooting.
For as impressive as that is, there's no way around how underwhelming he's been on defense in 2024-25. Opponents are shooting 4.2 percent better when Reaves is the primary defender than when he isn't, including an uptick of 6.1 percent within six feet of the basket.
The Mavericks took note of that fact and routinely went directly at Reaves in a way that put his inconsistency in isolation on full display.
Thankfully, Reaves is aware of the trouble he's had on defense and is willing to acknowledge it in a public setting. That doesn't necessarily guarantee that he'll put the work in to improve, but it's certainly an encouraging start.
If Reaves is able to improve his defensive consistency, it would go a long way toward helping the Lakers improve in several key areas of weakness.
Los Angeles is currently No. 19 in opponent three-point field goal percentage and No. 25 in fast break points allowed. Both flaws can be attributed to poor performances from perimeter players who need to give more on the defensive end of the floor—Reaves included.
Acknowledging the problem is the first step toward truly addressing it, and Reaves has taken that crucial stride for a Lakers team in need of defensive consistency.