Austin Reaves had been on a steady ascent since breaking into the NBA as an undrafted rookie, but he really took off during the 2024-25 season.
Reaves entered the year as the third option behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but somehow found a way to level up his game even after the team swapped out Davis for Luka Doncic. James and Doncic still dominated the touches offensively, but they trusted Reaves with the basketball to score and make plays and he made good on their faith.
Not only did Reaves’ numbers go up across the board, but he also remained a highly-efficient scorer from every part of the floor. He went from a quality starter on a playoff team to someone who has legitimate All-Star potential.
Reaves’ 2024-25 campaign didn’t go unnoticed by the rest of the basketball world as he finished fifth in voting for the Kia NBA Most Improved Player Award and received some first-place votes, via NBA PR:
Atlanta Hawks forward Dyson Daniels ran away with the award with 332 total points, but Reaves earned three first-place votes en route to 39 total points. Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac and Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham finishing second and third, respectively, also made sense as they had excellent seasons themselves.
Reaves is the only undrafted played on the list, which speaks volumes about his skill and work ethic to get to this point in his career. The Lakers must feel fortunate to have someone like Reaves on the roster as he slots in perfectly next to the stars but is more than capable of uplifting a team himself for stretches.
Reaves probably should’ve received more votes for the award, but playing next to James and Doncic might have been considered a knock for some voters. There were arguments that Reaves’ success was due to the defensive attention James and Doncic received, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth given what he did with his opportunities.
While Austin Reaves was a relative unknown following the 2022 NBA Draft, the Lakers got a good sense of what they had in the guard. For example, former assistant coach Phil Handy said he saw Reaves’ full potential as a player before his rookie season.
