For a franchise that seemingly lacks the necessary attributes to contend, the Los Angeles Lakers have found a way to build a roster with desirable talent. Whether outsiders agree or disagree with the sentiment, everyone seems to have something to say about the Lakers' unwillingness to trade Austin Reaves.
The general response to that news has suggested Reaves is both the missing piece to help the Lakers complete a trade for a superstar and not good enough to help Anthony Davis and LeBron James contend—a strange dichotomy.
The unfortunate truth is that the uncertainty surrounding what type of player Reaves actually is begins with how Los Angeles has utilized him. In 2023-24, he set career-best averages across the board, yet spent 25 games coming off the bench.
According to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times, first-year Lakers head coach JJ Redick has no such qualms about definitively labeling Reaves as a key contributor.
"Some of the indication coming out of the Lakers’ facility this summer is that Reaves is in line for a big opportunity this season, with another uptick in usage headed his way."
That's a promising sign that Redick is learning from the previous regimes' mistakes as far as utilizing arguably the third-best player on the team is concerned.
JJ Redick plans to increase Austin Reaves' usage in 2024-25
Reaves has increased his averages in scoring, assists, and three-point field goals made per game and per 36 minutes across each of his three NBA seasons. In 2023-24, he overcame inconsistent playing time to produce his best season to date.
Reaves appeared in all 82 games and averaged 15.9 points, 5.5 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 0.8 steals, and 1.9 three-point field goals made—all of which were career-best marks.
Reaves' turnovers increased by 0.5 per 36 minutes, but he also dished out an additional 2.0 assists and attempted 3.3 more shots by that same metric. Furthermore, his usage rate jumped 4.1 points from 16.0 to 20.1, which puts the minor uptick in turnovers into perspective.
Along those same lines, while Reaves' slash line decreased from .529/.398/.864 in 2022-23 to .486/.367/.853, he maintained an eFG% that was 2.1 percent above the league average—all the while juggling new responsibilities and an undetermined place in the rotation.
It's an encouraging truth to consider when one factors in how erratic Reaves' role was in 2023-24. On November 10, just four days after he tallied 23 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, and a steal against the Miami Heat, he was removed from the starting lineup.
Reaves started just one game between then and January 3—and tallied 24 points and eight assists, and 19 points and 12 dimes during his first two games back in the lineup.
In 2024-25, Reaves should avoid a relegation to the second unit by simply playing for a coach who properly values his contributions. Darvin Ham was thrown an unhittable curveball in the form of how depleted the Lakers' second unit was by injuries last season, but the decision to bench Reaves reportedly caused a rift in the locker room.
With Redick already singing Reaves' praises as a player he can't wait to coach, it appears as though Los Angeles is going to avoid a repeat of that disastrous stretch.