Austin Reeves is one of the most talked about young players in the NBA for his performances last season during the playoffs. He took huge strides last season with his exceptional performances and entered the free agency as a big prospect.
Despite drawing plenty of attention in the free agency, Rob Pelinka and the Los Angeles Lakers made sure to re-sign him for a $53 million contract.
Following his move back to the Lakers, he went on to represent the United States of America at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Although they fell way short of their target of winning the trophy, Reeves continued to impress the fans with his stunning performances.
Veteran analyst Nick Wright has been so impressed with Reeves that he believes that if he is making a championship team, Reeves would have been a better third option than Bradley Beal. While speaking on this topic in the latest episode of First Things First, Wright shared his hypothetical thoughts.
“Let me be very clear: I think if you’re trying to win a championship, I would rather have as my third guy Austin Reaves and the things he does, than Bradley Beal if my top two guys are those guys (LeBron James and Anthony Davis).”
Reeves took a big jump in terms of scoring last season. He averaged around 13 points per game last year, taking a jump from his rookie season’s average of 7.3 points per game. He took his game up a notch to average 16.9 points per game in the playoffs.
He averaged 3.4 assists per game last season before improving it to 4.6 apg during the playoffs. Similarly, his three-point shooting efficiency also increased drastically during the playoffs last season.
With his drastic improvement, Bill Simmons had high praises for the youngster as he compared him with Manu Ginobili. “There’s a Ginobili, I think, kind of ceiling for him as a really, really crafty, creative offensive guard who’s not afraid of the moment, who seems like he gets better whatever stage he’s in.”
Reeves will look to continue his growth as a player and help the likes of LeBron James and Anthony Davis win the NBA Championship this year.
