The stock of Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves has been rapidly rising lately. After a promising rookie season, he blossomed big time this past season and seemingly got better as the year went on.
Reaves moved into the starting lineup for good in late March, and after averaging 13 points a game in the regular season, he put up 16.9 points per contest in the playoffs as the Lakers made it to the Western Conference finals. Even better, he was one of the most efficient players in the NBA, and he became very adept at drawing fouls.
It seems he is headed toward playing a bigger role this season, especially since part of the plan is for him to play more as a ball-handling guard. According to Jovan Buha, Reaves has been preparing physically to handle an increased load (h/t Lakers Daily).
Via The Athletic:
“He is working with the Lakers’ strength and conditioning team this offseason — including throughout his time abroad with Team USA — to better handle his increasing workload,” Buha wrote. “He also is working to sharpen his ballhandling and playmaking as he prepares to run more of the offense next season. Reaves can shift between either backcourt spot, but says, ‘I want to get back to playing point guard a little more and what we did at the end of the year. I feel comfortable and like I’m able to do that.’”
Reaves could still stand to gain some upper-body and core bulk in order to better withstand the rigors of a long season, especially on the defensive end. But another significant step forward for him could have him approaching All-Star territory while putting the Lakers closer to their 18th NBA championship.
