5 Players who benefit most from Lakers hiring head coach JJ Redick

Austin Reaves

There's a case to be made that the third-best player on the Los Angeles Lakers over the past two seasons has been Austin Reaves. Reaves went undrafted in 2021, but has since proven that he has a dynamic offensive skill set that has even translated relatively well to the postseason.

In a July 2023 episode of The Old Man & the Three, Redick spoke to that fact and described Reaves as a, "Phenomenal player."

"[Austin Reaves] is a secondary, tertiary shot-creator and playmaker. They run offense through him. He's got a bag of tricks. He shot the s*** out of the ball over the second half of the year. He's a phenomenal player."

That's high praise from the individual who, pending an offseason trade, will coach Reaves during the 2024-25 season.

Redick praised Reaves following the 2022-23 season, when he helped the Los Angeles Lakers reach the Western Conference Finals. In 2023-24, he took a massive step forward by posting career-best averages in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and three-point field goals made per game.

The fact that Reaves averaged 5.5 assists and 1.6 three-point field goals made on 36.7 percent efficiency from deep helps him fit seamlessly into Redick's outlined vision.

Reaves is a skilled ball-handler who can create for himself in isolation, as well as a willing passer who can find open shooters and run the pick and roll. He's also an effective three-point shooter who has improved significantly since shooting 31.7 percent from beyond the arc as a rookie.

If any player stands to see a massive improvement from one season to the next, it's likely to be Reaves.