The Los Angeles Lakers are must-see TV, but not only because they offer a chance to watch two generational players in LeBron James and Luka Doncic coalesce on the court.
Austin Reaves, the third head of their fearsome dragon, has taken his game to new heights — so much so that expectations for him as a player should be recalibrated.
Among the most relevant roster building lessons of the last three years is the Big Three model is out of style. Take, for instance, the Phoenix Suns, which are on the verge of missing the Play-In Tournament, despite rostering three perennial 20-point scorers in Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.
This trio doesn’t work because their skill-sets are too similar, which is problematic when limited resources are available – both salary-wise and in the number of players a team can slot on the floor at once.
Thanks to Reaves, the Lakers don’t run into this issue. With two ball-dominant floor generals like Doncic and James, maximizing their talents requires someone who is capable of playing off them.
Reaves is comfortable being a play-finisher who benefits from the advantages his Hall of Fame-bound teammates create. According to Synergy Sports, he’s in the 94th percentile in points per possession (1.30) on spot-up attempts.
There is more nuance to his efficiency than just a sweet stroke. Reaves has always been a cerebral player, using savvy tricks and subtle physicality to create clean looks for himself without taking a dribble. Look at this clip, where he summons his inner Reggie Miller to gain separation from Ja Morant (also, notice how both Doncic and James are involved in the action):
Reaves isn’t solely a catch-and-shoot specialist, though. He falls under the highly coveted archetype of someone who can flourish on or off the ball.
When I first wrote about the Lakers prior to the Doncic deal, I didn’t believe Reaves had the on-ball juice to be a legitimate second option for a true contender. However, as the season has progressed, he’s showing there’s more than initially meets the eye with his creation abilities.
Akin to Manu Ginobili, Reaves is smart enough to see what defenses are conceding him and skilled enough to make them pay for doing so.
At a glance, this seems like a simple kickout pass. But the reason defenses help off the corner in those spots is because drivers have a very hard time seeing open players directly behind them when they are driving at full speed (why I’m quite fond of these rotations).
This is a tough pass to see, let alone hit directly in the shooting pocket, which Reaves does wonderfully with a crisp right-hand skip pass. Oh, and he made sure to complete the mission with a putback layup.
Reaves’ effective self-creation shows up in many great on-ball scoring/playmaking indicators. He’s in the 84th percentile in Box Creation (an estimate of shots created for teammates per 100 possessions), 87th percentile in Passer Rating (one of the best publicly available passing metrics) and 80th percentile in pull-up three efficiency, per Thinking Basketball).
He’s also having a career year in scoring volume (20.8 points per 75 possessions) and Offensive Estimated Plus-Minus (95th percentile), despite often sharing the floor with two high-usage players.
More than any of this, what really pops is how Reaves has fared as the lone ball-handler on the floor. During 596 minutes without Doncic or James alongside him, he’s averaging 27.2 points (59.3 percent true shooting) per 75 possessions and the Lakers have a plus-8.15 net rating, according to PBP Stats.
To put some color on those numbers, look how Reaves’ solo minutes align with the season-long production of All-Stars like Donovan Mitchell, Tyrese Maxey, Cade Cunningham, Devin Booker and Kyrie Irving.
As long as he’s playing with Doncic and James, Reaves is fine to continue being the third option offensively. But a day will come when Father Time finally does catch up to James. And when that happens, Reaves’ growth shows he’ll be up for the challenge of greater offensive responsibility.
If needed, he has what it takes to be more than a top-50ish player in the Association. This former undrafted player has an All-Star-caliber ceiling and everything he’s doing this season makes that clear.
