One — that is the definitive number of shooting guards you can unequivocally say are better than Austin Reaves. Hats off to Anthony Edwards for being that sole player who leaves no doubt. Beyond him, the Los Angeles Lakers star can stand toe-to-toe with anyone else at the position.
The NBA moves and changes in the blink of an eye. In the amount of blinks it took from the end of last season to the start of this one, Reaves has leveled up once more.
Maybe the naysayers can chalk it up to an early season overreaction. In all fairness to that sentiment, the 2026-27 campaign still has a lot left for everyone. Even so, it is tough to ignore just how great Reaves has been hooping in his second-star role on the Lakers.
Austin Reaves' early success in 2026-27 has elevated him up the ranks
As things stand, Reaves is averaging 25.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.0 steal in 36.2 minutes per game. The hopeful first-time All-Star is also enjoying a 50-40-90 campaign. The Lakers guard is hitting 50.8 percent from the field, 41.3 percent from deep, and 90.9 percent on his free throws.
Reaves still has his shortcomings on defense, but he is far from a truly detrimental player on that end. It would be most fair to call him average on that side of the court and not push it one way or the other. Coupling that with his incredible offensive arsenal equates to one heck of a basketball player.
There was a bit too much hoopla being made out of the early struggles with turnovers. The Lakers have several new pieces fitting in and Reaves is an aggressive player offensively. The turnovers per game number has been coming down and is bound to normalize as the season goes on.
Should the rest of his statistics remain comparable to what he is doing now, Reaves will be due for a boost to his leaguewide reputation. It is time to seriously consider how he stacks up against the other elite shooting guards in the game today.
Donovan Mitchell, Devin Booker are not holding Austin Reaves off
Donovan Mitchell would be most people's current answer to who is the second-best shooting guard in the NBA. Mitchell's claim to that distinction is deserved based off his reputation and body of work over his career. His start to 2026-27, however, has been incredibly modest by his standards.
Devin Booker is another name often brought up in that second tier of shooting guards behind Edwards. Booker and the Phoenix Suns have not exactly hit the ground running either.
There is something to be said of Reaves outperforming both to start the year despite operating as a second option by comparison to both Mitchell and Booker who have the green light as the top guys on their respective squads. Austin's malleability and consistency beside a high-usage superstar like Luka Doncic deserves plenty of applause.
These three guys here are essentially the second tier behind Edwards at the position. The closeness of the players in that group is much tighter than some may want to admit. Anyone thinking Reaves has a fair claim to being at the top of this tier has been given plenty of justification in the early goings of 2026-27.
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