Austin Reaves is a head down, get to work type of guy. That has been the case since the Los Angeles Lakers star went undrafted and joined the team. It is still the case today. Reaves is boring, in the best possible kind of way. You always know what you are going to get.
When his Lakers future was hitting a pivotal checkpoint with unrestricted free agency coming up this offseason, the deal was done before the exclusive negotiating period was over. When asked about what his goals are for next season, Reaves gave the exact type of simple and straightforward message that one would expect about improving as a player.
Apart from the massive leap to stardom, Reaves is not all too different from the guy who was just clawing for a spot in the NBA. That is something that should continue to work in the Lakers' benefit as the Luka Doncic era gets fully underway in Los Angeles.
Austin Reaves is the Lakers' most dependable variable on the roster
Earlier this week, Reaves sat down with the media at Las Vegas, along with all the other freshly-signed Lakers, to field questions about this offseason. There were no crazy soundbites with anything he said. In the best possible way, Austin delivered the exact type of boring responses one would expect.
When asked about the new contract, Reaves said: "I wanted to be a Laker the whole time. We had that period from when the season ended to the first to get something done, and we figured it out before then."
Reaves never truly felt like a flight risk for the Lakers despite other teams ogling all over the idea of adding him. Our condolences to the Detroit Pistons and anyone else who was connected to the free agency sweepstakes at any point. It never happened.
The Lakers guard came back to Los Angeles with a shiny new contract, making him the highest paid undrafted player in NBA history. What did that mean for Reaves?
Was it time to start talking and flaunting like a star? Did Reaves suddenly carry himself in a far more grandiose fashion with his max contract? Nope. It was just the same old AR15 sitting in that chair, answer questions with his typical charm and modesty.
When asked about his goals for the summer, Reaves said: "It's the same as basically every summer. Getting stronger. Just becoming a better basketball player."
It is in that boring consistency that Reaves shines. The star guard is still approaching things with a desire to keep improving, determined to blossom even further into the co-star that his buddy, Doncic, needs in the backcourt.
Despite having every opportunity to become a big question mark, Reaves continued to shine as a known quantity for the Lakers. There is a lot for the team and fans to appreciate about that reliability.
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