One of the bright spots so far this season for the Los Angeles Lakers has been the play of Austin Reaves.
Last season, he was an intriguing undrafted rookie who showed a nice instinctual feel for the game and some decent skills.
This season, he is looking like a different player.
Reaves has bulked up, improved his ability to handle the ball and attack the basket and shown a willingness to absorb contact. He has become better at making plays on defense, including but not limited to getting steals and drawing charging fouls.
But perhaps his biggest improvement has been his outside shooting. He is hitting 38.2% from 3-point range on 3.3 attempts a game, a marked improvement from his 31.7% accuracy last year.
Reaves will be a free agent this summer, and he could command serious money as a role player. In fact, he could command more money than a player he is often compared to, former Laker Alex Caruso.
Via Lakers Daily:
“According to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, Reaves could be looking for a contract that pays him around $10 million or more per season.
“‘From what I’ve heard on that, it’s going to be more than Caruso money, that’s for sure,’ Buha said. ‘It’s going to be double digits.'”
Caruso, who became a huge cult hero among fans, left in the summer of 2021 when the team was reportedly unwilling to pay him the type of money he was asking for. He ultimately joined the Chicago Bulls for $37 million over four years.
Arguably, Reaves may already be a somewhat better player than Caruso, and if the Lakers don’t cough up the money to keep him in the fold, their fans could become very irate.
