Former Lakers Lottery Pick Appreciates Austin Reaves' Comprehensive Defense
To Lakers fans, Austin Reaves is definitely not under the radar anymore.
After signing as an undrafted free agent in 2021, the guard went on to become a solid role player for LA, before exploding onto the scene last season.
He broke into the Lakers' starting five, played a significant role in the team's run to the Western Conference Finals, and parlayed that into a long term contract with Los Angeles this summer.
When analyzing Reaves' game, the main thing that jumps out is his offense.
He's extremely capable in the pick and roll with a good enough three point shot to have that be a threat. As far as that's concerned, he elevated that during the postseason run, shooting at a 44 percent clip from deep compared to 40 percent in the regular season.
Reaves also excels as a playmaker at times, and he's even gotten some reps at point guard during Team USA's practices in the leadup to this summer's FIBA World Cup.
One thing that may go unnoticed though is his ability on defense. Although he proved to be a solid on-ball defender during the Lakers' playoff run, that had a tendency to go under the radar in favor of his offensive exploits.
But his defense isn't sitting entirely in the background, and that element of his game received praise from former Lakers lottery pick and current New Orleans Pelicans star Brandon Ingram.
"'From afar, I’ve watched him,' Ingram said. “The one thing I’ve noticed is that he’s consistent at how he plays and he doesn’t do anything outside of how he plays. And he’s really detailed on the defensive end, whether it’s him being in front of the ball, boxing out on a rebound, whatever it is, he does it.'"
Ingram would definitely know a good defender when he sees one.
It was partially his defense that made him an attractive option for the Lakers when they took him with the No. 2 overall pick in 2016. He brought that with him to Los Angeles before being traded to New Orleans as part of the Anthony Davis trade.
When looking at Austin Reaves now, one thing is for sure. He'll no longer be flying under the radar.
