Austin Reaves has always been a solid passer. In his preseason debut against the Sacramento Kings, the Los Angeles Lakers guard looked the part of an even better player in that department. JJ Redick and the squad should be hoping that much remains true throughout the 2026-27 campaign.
In the Lakers' 114-110 preseason win over the Kings, Reaves posted eight assists in just under 25 minutes. The star guard dished out six of those in the first half alone. He could have had at least one more, too, if him and Adou Thiero had better chemistry on their alley-oop timing.
Need Adou Thiero to call up LeBron for tips on how to handle Reaves' lob passes
— Svyatoslav Rovenchuk (@JJBuckets17) October 9, 2026
This performance was exactly the type of thing the Lakers should hope can become a regular sight within the offense. Everyone knows Luka Doncic is going to move the ball well and get his teammates involved. Los Angeles needs Reaves to be that type of player too.
No one is going to expect him to make some of the circus passes that Doncic is capable of. Despite that, Reaves will still need to be a steady force of swinging the basketball around and getting the guys around him involved for the Lakers to be at their best this season,
Austin Reaves' flashed the playmaking leap Lakers need to see all year
A playmaking leap was a key focus of the player prediction series around here when it was Reaves' turn to be discussed. Everyone knows Austin is going to have more on-ball responsibilities this year with LeBron James off with the Philadelphia 76ers. That comes with a small shift in how he operates.
Scoring the ball has never been difficult for Reaves. There is some incredible creativity in that facet of the game for the Lakers guard. It makes him one of the more difficult one-on-one covers in the NBA. Anticipating more buckets with an increased on-ball load is pretty much a given.
No one likes to just sit back and watch the ball on a consistent basis, though. They want to get involved. That is why Reaves making the leap as a playmaker is a must for the Lakers offense.
Considering how much Redick is trying to create an attack where the ball keeps flowing and regularly looks for the best shot on the possession, it matters even more. Reaves needs to be a catalyst of those efforts.
When adjusting for the per-36 numbers, Reaves has a career average of 5.2 assists per game. It perfectly summarizes the good but not great for him in that department. If Redick is true to his word about keeping the minutes down for his main guys, Austin may not even be asked to play 36 on a nightly basis. When he is out there, though, the Lakers will need his passing as much as his scoring.
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