Lakers Have Intriguing New Plan for Austin Reaves Next Season, per Report
The Lakers' offense next season will obviously feature plenty of focus on LeBron James and Anthony Davis — that part should go without saying. But heading into the new NBA year, it appears that fan-favorite Austin Reaves is also set to receive more than his fair share of the offensive workload as well.
According to The Athletic's Jovan Buha, the recently-re-signed guard will have more of the offense run through him next year in an effort to focus on his skill set as a point guard.
The Lakers plan on running more of their offense through Reaves next season, unlocking the point guard skills he’s flashed through his first two years in the league, according to team sources not authorized to speak publicly.
It's a noteworthy tidbit following a strong free agency for Los Angeles, specifically when noting that the team made additional moves to address the point guard position. These moves included re-signing D'Angelo Russell to a reported two-year, $37 million deal, as well as adding former Miami Heat guard Gabe Vincent on a three-year, $33 million deal.
While all three players have the ability to play either guard spot, if Buha's report points to a real shift in Reaves' role next season, he could play with the ball in his hands far more than fans saw last season.
Reaves averaged 13 points, 3.4 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game during the regular season but posted averages of 16.9 points, 4.6 assists and 4.4 rebounds over 36.2 minutes per game in the playoffs. The 25-year-old guard shot 46.4 percent from the field and 44.3 percent from three-point range over 16 postseason games.
