Lakers' Austin Reaves turning his most glaring weakness into a potential strength

The Los Angeles Lakers are the right supporting cast away from competing for a championship. No matter how those on the outside looking in summarize the Lakers' current status, it's the undeniable reality of a team with two of the 10 best players in the NBA in Anthony Davis and LeBron James.

As the Lakers take one last chance on a supporting cast that was ravaged by injuries in 2023-24, the potential third star appears to be taking a step forward in the most vital area.

Los Angeles has an intriguing supporting cast, with Austin Reaves standing out as a homegrown talent with a strong postseason track record. He's earned rave reviews for his offensive versatility, but concerns remain about his consistency on defense.

According to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times, Lakers head coach JJ Redick praised Reaves for his effort and IQ on the defensive end of the floor.

“I never thought he was a chump defensively, but he competes his ass off on that end,” Redick said after the Lakers’ practice Tuesday. “He knows what he’s supposed to do. He’s in the right spots. If he’s supposed to veer, he veers. If he’s supposed to be the low man, he’s the low man. If he’s supposed to be at the nail, he’s at the nail. He just does a lot of really good things on the basketball floor.”

Reaves is one of the most dynamic young playmakers in the NBA, but improvement on defense will be the key to unlocking his and the team's full potential.

Lakers shooting guard Austin Reaves is making vital progress on defense

Reaves finished the 2023-24 regular season with career-best averages of 15.9 points, 5.5 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 0.8 steals, and 1.9 three-point field goals made per game. He maintained an impressive level of efficiency despite the increase in volume, posting a slash line of .486/.367/.853.

In the process, Reaves compiled an eFG% of .568, which was 2.1 percent higher than the league average—a clear sign that he can handle a heavier offensive workload.

Unfortunately, Reaves was underwhelming on the defensive end of the floor. It's bigger than statistics, but it's telling that the Lakers tallied their best defensive rating when he was off the court in 2023-24, as well as their second-worst among players who saw at least 100 minutes of playing time when he was present.

In 2024-25, Los Angeles will need Reaves to avoid repeating his status as a net negative if the team hopes to exceed expectations.

Thankfully, Redick has noticed both effort and situational intelligence from Reaves on defense. He knows where he's supposed to be and what he's meant to do in that scenario, which is the most difficult step for most players to take.

It's now up to Reaves and the coaching staff to figure out how he can better act upon those instincts to create the optimal result on defense.

In the event that Reaves takes a step forward on defense, the game would be simplified for Davis—perhaps the most significant goal the Lakers can achieve this season. In 2023-24, Davis earned All-Defensive First Team honors for his omnipresent style of play, but he was also forced to cover up for his teammates' flaws.

For Reaves, a starting guard who's likely to play upwards of 30 minutes per game in 2024-25, nothing will be more important than continuing the trend of improving on defense.