There are a number of younger gamers on the Los Angeles Lakers who’re candidates to make a major leap this season. One in every of them, some individuals say, is beginning guard Austin Reaves.
Reaves, who went undrafted in 2021, had an eye-opening 2022-23 season through which he established himself as an influential complementary participant. He was rewarded with a four-year contract value $54 million final summer time, and he responded by rising his factors, assists and rebounding averages final season.
Some consider Reaves might make one other vital leap this season, particularly underneath new head coach JJ Redick, and a few nonetheless assume he has All-Star potential. Whereas ESPN LA’s “Mason & Eire” Common supervisor Rob Pelinka mentioned Reaves shined in offseason scrimmages and appeared to suggest the guard might enhance like Jalen Brunson has accomplished lately (h/t Sports activities Illustrated).
“Seeing Austin in a few of these scrums, like his confidence with the ball, is one thing that actually stood out and I am excited for our followers to see that,” Pelinka mentioned. “You take a look at the evolution of gamers, and I am not evaluating gamers throughout the league, however you take a look at an ideal participant like Jalen Brunson and the leap he is constructed from his days in Dallas to New York. Is that this delta? I am not attempting to impose such expectations on Austin Reaves, however you may see gamers develop tremendously all through their profession, and I’ll put my chips in on Austin Reaves. to do it simply due to the work that he does and simply his cloth and his nature, he is an extremely robust individual and an unimaginable competitor and people issues are inclined to elevate guys all through their profession.
Brunson had a quiet begin to his profession after being a second-round draft choose in 2018. In his fourth season, he started to emerge throughout the playoffs because the second scoring choice was lacking for Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks, and he performed a giant position. position in getting them to the Western Convention Finals.
He left that summer time to hitch the New York Knicks, and he immediately went from averaging 16.3 factors per recreation throughout the 2021-22 season to 24.0 factors per recreation. Final season, he recorded 28.7 factors and 6.7 assists per recreation, and he was named to the All-Star group and the All-NBA second group for the primary time. Brunson is now the franchise participant for a Knicks group that would find yourself successful all of it subsequent June.
It appears unusual and unrealistic to assume Reaves might make the kind of huge leap Brunson made within the 2022-23 marketing campaign. However maybe he might see an uptick in his scoring, in addition to, extra importantly, a rise in his taking pictures effectivity and defensive means.
This text was initially printed on LeBron Wire: Rob Pelinka compares Austin Reaves’ trajectory to All-NBA guard
