NBA Draft Rewind: How Austin Reaves Landed with the Lakers
Amidst strong Team USA performances and fresh off a newly-inked deal, Austin Reaves’ name has been in and out of the headlines lately. And for good reason.
On July 1, Reaves signed a four-year, $54 million deal, cementing himself as an incredibly important piece of the Lakers core alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis for the foreseeable future.
It also cemented Reaves as one of, if not the best, undrafted free agents of the last several classes.
But how did he land with Los Angeles in the first place? How was he not selected in the 60 picks of the 2021 NBA Draft?
Reaves was a force in college, working his way from Wichita State to Oklahoma, improving each and every year at each stop. In his freshman season with the Shockers, he averaged just 11.8 minutes per game, scoring 4.1 points per game.
After essentially doubling his production, Reaves transferred, losing one season but finding a much better landing spot with the Sooners. By his senior year, he was the epicenter of the team, scoring 18.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists and just shy of one steal.
Production of Reaves’ caliber, and more importantly his shot-making, is a commodity in near-every draft. So again, how did go undrafted?
In late July on the All Smoke Podcast, Reaves alluded to the fact he very well could’ve been drafted, but elected not to in order to avoid being trapped in a two-way roster spot.
Reaves said the Pistons were looking at him as high as No. 42.
“We knew there was high interest for a two-way [contract], so we didn’t really have to press,” Reaves said. “That’s what everything in the draft would have been, from No. 42 and on.”
Instead, Reaves and his agent wrote out a list of teams they like him to land with, which included the Bucks at the top spot and the Lakers at No. 2.
In the end, it seems to have worked out swimmingly for the 25-year-old guard, whose set to help the Lakers contend for the foreseeable future.
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