A new poll of 108 NBA players indicates that one of the players they believe is overrated is Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves.
Sam Amick and Josh Robbins of The Athletic conducted the poll and offered anonymity to the players, which conceivably allowed them to offer more honest opinions about a wide variety of topics.
The results come just after Reaves delivered a clutch performance against the Memphis Grizzlies in the Lakers’ 128-112 Game 1 win on Sunday.
In that contest, Reaves made the first playoff game of his NBA career a memorable one as he finished with 23 points, four assists and three rebounds.
Reaves’ scoring effort was highlighted by a tremendous fourth quarter in which he scored 14 points. That outburst helped break open what had been a six-point Lakers lead at the start of the period and definitely got the attention of other NBA players.
Yet, it’s unclear why Reaves would be considered overrated by some players, though he did receive criticism for his play just last month. His NBA career began in humble fashion when he was signed as an undrafted free agent to a two-way deal by the Lakers.
Early on, the Lakers liked what they saw from the Arkansas native and rewarded him with a standard contract less than two months later.
Reaves not only went on to make the Lakers roster for the 2021-22 season, but he then started in 19 of the 61 games he played in that season.
While the Lakers’ injury troubles that season necessitated the use of Reaves in the lineup, it was a testament to his abilities that he was able to produce on the court. For his rookie year, Reaves averaged 7.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.
This regular season, Reaves’ numbers were 13.0 points, 3.4 assists and 3.0 rebounds per contest. He also connected on 39.8 percent of his 216 3-point shot attempts and made 86.4 percent of his 265 free-throw attempts.
If Reaves even cares about the opinions of those players voting, he should be gratified by the company he has in this select group. Among the players that also received the same percentage of “overrated” votes were Damian Lillard, Chris Paul, Draymond Green and Dillon Brooks.
Delivering more performances like the one he had on Sunday could help Reaves emerge from being overrated in the eyes of some to a situation in which his talents are unanimously recognized.
