Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves has started to break out in a major way during the back end of the 2022-23 NBA regular season, and plenty of people around the league are taking note.
NBA insider Shams Charania recently labeled Reaves as the Lakers’ third-best player.
“He’s technically your 3rd best player but he can start, he can come off the bench, he can do a little bit of everything… that’s really the role they have him in right now”@ShamsCharania on Austin Reaves' role and the growth he’s had 💪#RunItBack #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/LHlwEFlfjm
— FanDuel TV (@FanDuelTV) April 5, 2023
Over their last 10 games, the Lakers are 7-3. They’re also currently on a four-game winning streak after Tuesday night’s thriller against the Utah Jazz.
During those 10 games, Reaves has averaged 20.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game while knocking down 55.2 percent of his shots from the field and 37.1 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.
With each passing game, the 24-year-old becomes more and more important to Los Angeles’ success.
Reaves is set to become a restricted free agent at the end of this season, and countless Lakers fans are hoping that he re-signs with the team. He offered some interesting comments about his future recently, leaving some folks in Los Angeles a little bit worried about what his next chapter may hold.
Austin Reaves says he’d like to stay with the Lakers but the NBA is a business
“Anybody that says we don’t play the game for money is lying… I want to make as much money as I can and be as successful as I can no matter where it’s at.”
(Via @pointforward ) pic.twitter.com/b5PqSg2IPa
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 24, 2023
In late March, Charania reported that a significant market in the range of $50 million is brewing for Reaves. That’s a lot of money, but the University of Oklahoma product continues to show that he might be worth that and more.
Reaves and the Lakers are currently in a heated battle for an outright playoff bid in the Western Conference. The Lakers moved a little closer to securing a playoff spot with their win over the Jazz on Tuesday.
In fact, the Lakers were in sixth place for a small amount of time before the Golden State Warriors jumped them in the standings with a win of their own on Tuesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
With only three games left in the regular season for the Purple and Gold, every contest is crucial now. No game is bigger for the Lakers than Wednesday night’s contest against their in-town rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers.
Both teams have 41-38 records, with the Clippers holding the tiebreaker by way of having already clinched the season series. The Lakers know they have no more room for any errors, and Wednesday’s contest will surely be full of fireworks.
