Lost in the shuffle of another dramatic Lakers regular season was the massive step forward Austin Reaves took. The Lakers added Luka Doncic at the trade deadline and went on an impressive run to clinch the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, but none of that would be possible without the emergence of Reaves.
Despite being the third banana next to LeBron James and Luka Doncic, the 26-year-old combo guard increased his usage rate and offensive production, finishing the year with career highs across the board, 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in 34.9 minutes per game.
Speaking to Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, head coach JJ Redick revealed how highly he thinks of Reaves. Woike identified a key moment in a regular-season game against the Grizzlies when Redick gathered James, Doncic, and Reaves together, which cemented Reaves' place among the Lakers' Big Three.
"Just in terms of Austin being included, of course he’s been included."Lakers head coach JJ Redick
The real challenge for Reaves, however, begins now. Winning a ton of regular-season games and earning home-court advantage in the first round is nice, but the Lakers have to prove the theory of this team in the playoffs.
And that starts on the defensive end. The Luka Doncic-Austin Reaves backcourt duo can be flammable defensively. For a team without an elite rim protector to clean up the mess in the backline, the defensive deficiencies of Reaves and Doncic on the perimeter can be a big issue.
That is why Reaves still has the most to prove on this roster as the Lakers head to the playoffs. If the Lakers' defense struggles and LA loses early, there will be a lot of talk about how Doncic and Reaves together are unsustainable. Reaves has been hunted relentlessly on the defensive end by certain teams throughout his NBA tenure. The next step in his development will be getting to a passable level on that end of the floor. Whether he can do it will be a big factor in how far the Lakers can go in the postseason.