NBA Draft

Austin Reaves Has Become One of NBA's Best Undrafted Players Ever

After not being selected in the 2021 NBA Draft, Austin Reaves has developed into a high-level guard for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Randall Sweet|
Oct 29, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) dribbles the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second half at Target Center.
Oct 29, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) dribbles the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second half at Target Center. | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

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Los Angeles Lakers

If you've paid any attention to the NBA early in the 2025-26 season, you've probably seen a few highlights of Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves.

A solid offensive role player throughout his professional career, Reaves has taken another step forward this season. Part of that is due to the absence of LeBron James and Luka Doncic, who are both dealing with injuries, but Reaves game has also improved this year.

Not only has Reaves notched a a few eye-popping performances, the 27-year-old has been a consistent scoring and playmaking threat for the Lakers. Five games into the year, Reaves is averaging 34.2 points, 10 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals while shooting 52.5% from the field and 38.5% from beyond the arc on 7.8 attempts per game.

The fifth-year guard is just the sixth player in NBA history to average those numbers in the first five games of the season, joining Russell Westbrook, Oscar Robertson, Tiny Archibald, James Harden and Nikola Jokic.

Reaves' offensive explosion has helped the Lakers to a 3-2 record despite missing multiple starters so far this season.

Players like Ben Wallace, John Starks, Raja Bell, Lu Dort, Bruce Bowen, Fred VanVleet and Alex Caruso are among the best undrafted free agents to carve out an NBA career, but with his performances this season and over the past few yeas, Reaves may be close to joining the aforementioned group.

Reaves seems well on his way to All-Star status this season, even if his averages decline once Doncic returns to the lineup.

Still, the former undrafted free agent seems to have established a strong enough role in the Lakers' offense to be a borderline All-Star, especially after tallying more than 20 points per game in 2024-25.

Reaves went undrafted after five collegiate seasons, two at Wichita State and two at Oklahoma. The former Sooners' star was forced to sit out the 2018-19 season after transferring to Norman.

In his final year at OU, Reaves tallied 18.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists while shooting 44.3% from the field and 30.5% from beyond the arc. Reaves' age, defensive concerns and lack of perimeter shooting production are likely what caused the former All-Big 12 honoree to fall in the draft.

After finding a home in Los Angeles, though, Reaves' continued development has helped the 6-foot-5 guard thrive in the NBA. The former undrafted free agent's success is another sign that even after the draft ends, there are still prospects with the potential to make an impact in the NBA.

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Randall Sweet
RANDALL SWEET

Randall Sweet is a 2022 Oklahoma University graduate who has formerly written for the Norman Transcript and OU Daily. Randall also serves as the Communications Coordinator at Visit OKC.

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