Austin Reaves had three goals entering his rookie season with the Lakers: earn a spot on the 15-man roster, become a rotation player and win a championship.
Reaves swiftly accomplished the first two goals, signing a two-year deal with the Lakers the day before training camp started and earning regular minutes by the first week of the 2021-22 season. But Reaves and the Lakers fell embarrassingly short on the third goal, finishing with a 33-49 record and missing the Play-In tournament.
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“Individually, I think it went about as good as it could have gone for me,” Reaves told The Athletic. “Doing all those things was special. And as a team, I mean, to say the least, it sucked, to be honest. We had high expectations for ourselves and felt like we just couldn’t piece it together throughout the year. “
For me, the main goal is always to win, so it sucked in that aspect.”
Reaves’ averages of 7.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 0.5 steals weren’t eye-popping, but his team-leading plus-minus (plus-54) reflected the undrafted rookie’s considerable impact.
The 24-year-old already does all of the little things that lead to winning. He defends multiple positions. He repeatedly sacrifices his body, to the point that LeBron James repeatedly joked that Reaves should play games with a helmet on. He was one of the Lakers’ few pass-first rotation players. He posted an efficient 60-percent true shooting mark, especially impressive when factoring in his subpar 31-percent 3-point accuracy.
The Lakers knew they were adding a skilled and versatile offensive weapon that could hurt defenses with or without the ball. What they didn’t know was that Reaves was NBA-ready defensively.
“I think what surprised me and others the most was his on-ball defense,” Lakers co-owner and assistant general manager Jesse Buss said. “I think in year one, obviously, he was way ahead of where we figured he would be in that department. And I think that’s a lot of the reason that he was able to get on the floor: him being a glue guy for a team that has a lot of star power. I think that naturally allowed him to fit in.”
With limited means to improve their roster this offseason, the Lakers are hoping that substantial improvement from their younger players — and, of course, better health — will help catapult the organization back to contention. Reaves, who started 19 of the 61 games played, is one of the team’s most pivotal players in that regard.
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As of now, he’s in the mix with free-agency signings Troy Brown Jr. and Lonnie Walker IV for the starting shooting guard spot next to Russell Westbrook, a position that will be tasked with defending the top backcourt scoring threat and keeping defenses honest with pinpoint 3-point shooting.
It’s a role that could be well-suited for a player who defied conventional expectations, earned the Lakers’ penultimate roster spot after an impressive showing in a Las Vegas minicamp led by James before training camp, quickly established himself as a connector on both sides of the ball and was unfazed by playing with multiple Hall of Fame teammates or the blinding spotlight that comes with the Lakers and Los Angeles.
“He’s 24 going on 40,” said Aaron Reilly, Reaves’ agent at AMR Agency. “He’s not wowed by it.”
As Reaves prepares for his sophomore season, he’s reflecting on the successes and failures of his debut one and is ready to make the type of jump the Lakers need from him.
“He’s like a computer,” said Reggie Berry, Reaves’ agent and Reilly’s partner. “The more times he’s able to go through scenarios and experience them, he’s able to log the assets and liabilities of the situation and focus more on what works versus what doesn’t. I think as he continues to play and grow as a player in the league, you’re just gonna see exponential growth in a bunch of areas in his game.”
Reaves needed a break after the longest and most physically taxing season of his career.
He returned home to Newark, Arkansas, for a month after the Lakers’ season finale in Denver. He took two weeks off, then began lifting and shooting again.
He’s been back in Los Angeles since mid-May, doing three-a-day sessions of lifting, working out with his teammates and then returning at night to shoot. Reaves has spent time with assistant coaches Phil Handy and Quinton Crawford and, before he was let go, former assistant coach John Lucas III. He then came back at night with coaching associate Zach Gonzales.
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“He understands the opportunity that’s in front of him,” Reilly said. “Not just next year, but in general. He’s carved out a nice little niche for himself. … As a matter of fact, (the Lakers) told him to take a week off, but he’s like, ‘Fuck that. I’m gonna work.’ So just looking forward to seeing the results.”
One of the Lakers’ primary focuses for Reaves involves improving his 31-percent 3-point shooting. He knows that mark needs to be much higher next season.
It was at the start of last season, at least. From October through December, Reaves shot 37.8 percent from beyond the arc. On Dec. 15, he hit a game-winning 3-pointer in Dallas. There were 14 games in which he made at least two 3s, including the career-high five 3-pointers he made against the Mavericks.
But Reaves tailed off dramatically as a shooter in the 2022 calendar year. he. From January through March, he shot just 27.6 percent on 3s, nearly eight percent below the league average.
Reaves has the pedigree: He shot 45.1 percent on 3s in his two seasons at Wichita State before transferring to Oklahoma in 2018. When the Lakers scouted him, his shooting was one of his attractive traits.
“As he continues to get stronger, I definitely expect him to be a more consistent perimeter shooter,” Buss said. “One of the things at Oklahoma, it was funny, the percentages weren’t very high from 3, but one of the things I did notice is on catch-and-shoot attempts, he was very efficient. I believe it was somewhere around 40 percent his senior year. I think that’s something that he can grow into given his natural shooting touch.”
Reaves’ agents also noticed him heaving 3s at the end of the shot clock or quarters, lowering his 3-point percentage. Indeed, Reaves was 5-for-26 (19.2 percent) on 3s with four seconds or fewer remaining on the shot clock. Remove those shots from his 3-point percentage – some of which were hot-potato heaves – and his 3-point percentage jumps up to a more manageable 33.8 percent.
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“I wanted to kill him every time,” Reilly joked.
Reaves’ late-season decline was also due in part to the rigors of the NBA schedule. Former head coach Frank Vogel referenced Reaves hitting the rookie wall multiple times, and even benched Reaves in a critical late-season matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans because he felt Reaves was too gassed to perform at his normal level.
“Probably a little bit of everything,” Reaves said. “I’ve never played a season over 37 games – 40 games at max. So I played 61 games this year, but the 82-game season, and I was traveling still when I wasn’t playing. So it’s definitely a thing.
“But honestly, at the end of the day, I felt like there was not an excuse for me missing shots. I gotta make shots, even if it’s late in the year, early in the year, whatever it is. I have confidence in myself, with all the work that I’ve put in, to make shots in those situations.”
Reaves has vowed not to give his next coach any reason to doubt his ability to handle the physical grind of an 82-plus-game season. Last season, teams would target Reaves defensively, attempting to exploit his thin frame. He held his own in many matchups – his on-ball defense was among his best skills as a rookie – but he was exposed at times, against more athletic wings.
Reaves doesn’t have a specific weight goal to hit, but he’s bulked up from his preseason listed weight of 197 lbs. to 209 lbs. now.
“It’s my big focus,” Reaves said. “I go in there with a good attitude every day, and whatever they tell me to do, I do. Just putting my body in the best position so the rookie wall or whatever, it doesn’t hit you like that. And you can more push through it because you’re in better shape and better conditioning.”
Reaves hopes to use those extra pounds to improve at defending wings and absorbing contact on the offensive end. He’s eating healthier, seeking out a dietician and chef. He’s also become more flexible, recently taking up yoga.
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“This is a guy who is literally straight off a farm,” Berry said. “Didn’t really have the blue chip, like, trainers, and the whole nutritional plan that whole type of deal that a lot of these kids get.
“So now that he’s in the mix, with a high-level organization like LA and getting an opportunity to really spend some time working his body and his game this summer, I think the results will be pretty evident as soon as he gets out there next year.”
At the beginning of June, Austin’s brother, Spencer, and Spencer’s then-fiancee Kaci, visited Austin in Los Angeles.
The brothers hadn’t seen each other since Austin’s draft-night party almost a year ago. They just missed each other in May, with Spencer returning to Newark from his pro team in Germany on the same day Austin returned to Los Angeles to resume his offseason workouts. One month later, they were finally in the same place.
While Spencer was out at Austin’s place in Manhattan Beach, he accompanied Austin to his evening workouts with Gonzales at the UCLA Health Training Center. Put a basketball in the same room as the two brothers, and a one-on-one game is inevitably going to break out.
“They’re not like they were in high school,” Spencer said. “I can say that. They’re a lot calmer than what they were. They’re still competitive. We don’t like losing, either one of us.”
Officially, Spencer uses the opportunity to sharpen his skill set against an NBA defender. Unofficially, he’s trying to maintain his dominance over his little brother.
The two are “about even” when it comes to 1-on-1 games these days, according to Spencer.
“He said I might be his least favorite person to play one on one against,” Spencer said.
The trash-talk between the two brothers gets heated – personal but still playful.
Usually, Spencer is the one trying to get under Austin’s skin.
Yeah, you got all this stuff? You got all this nice, big ole couch with the PlayStation and XBOX? Yeah? You’re gonna get this work tonight. You’re gonna take a couple L’s. You’re gonna be on my level.
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The brothers played for three straight days. Spencer won the first night. Austin exacted revenge and crushed him the second night. And on the third day, Spencer won two of three games on “not the most high-percentage shots.”
“It’s a good time,” Spencer said. “We really enjoy (our 1-on-1 games). It’s always fun. Like, that’s the highlight of even going out there. Just being able to see him and play and get some work in. Because, you know, basketball has been it for us through our entire lives. It’s a cool experience.”
The only “fancy” thing the trio did was go to The Nice Guy, an upscale restaurant on the border of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood that celebrities frequent.
Despite Reaves’ increased notoriety playing for the Lakers, which helped him land a shoe deal with Chinese company Rigorer and a sponsorship with protein supplement company OWYN, those around Reaves say he hasn’t changed. After his game-winning shot in Dallas, Reaves went back to his hotel room and FaceTimed Reilly and Berry, dryly quipping, “Well, that was cool, huh?”
“He’s still the same,” Reilly said. “He’s genuinely one of the funniest (people). He has a dry sense of humor. And he’s a smart guy, so he’s very witty. He has a lot of great comebacks.”
Yet despite his small-town origins and low-key demeanor, Reaves’ arrival in Los Angeles was by design.
Reilly and Berry determined that the Lakers were the best fit for Reaves after evaluating multiple factors, including analytics, personnel and playing style. They discouraged the Detroit Pistons from using the No. 42 pick on Reaves – Detroit would’ve wanted Reaves to accept a two-way contract, and they were confident the Lakers would offer the same if Reaves went undrafted, plus a chance to earn a full-time roster spot.
The opportunity to play with James, one of the greatest players ever and someone who they believed would appreciate Reaves’ game, was another key determinant.
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Berry played basketball at Western Michigan University with Maverick Carter, James’ cousin, best friend and business partner. The two are close friends and have known each other for over 20 years (Berry used to attend James’ high school football and basketball games in Akron).
But Berry said he refrained from reaching out to Carter, even after Reaves was a Laker. He wanted Reaves’ play to solely dictate his standing on the team.
It wasn’t until December when Berry let Carter know he was repping Reaves. The two set up a dinner in Beverly Hills with Carter, James, Rich Paul and Randy Mims, James’ longtime friend and the Lakers’ executive administrator of player programs and logistics.
“I kept telling Bron, ‘I brought him here on purpose, man, I knew you’d love it,’” Berry said. “It just made too much sense. Hoopers respect hoopers, man.”
Reaves’ fiery competitiveness helped forge an instant connection with James. The Lakers’ star didn’t have to micromanage Reaves like other certain rookies or young players. Reaves was one of the Lakers players most frustrated by last season’s losing record.
“That was one of the biggest things Austin and I, at least personally, we would have our little, I don’t want to say, dust-ups, but just like, Austin would be pissed after losses,” Berry said. “And I’m like, ‘Bro, you have 82 games. You’re just not gonna win them all, you know?’”
Reaves was a staunch Vogel supporter, considering Vogel gave him the opportunity to start and play a lot of minutes as a rookie. But he’s excited to play for new head coach Darvin Ham, who, like Reaves, went undrafted before carving out an NBA career as a role player.
“He’s worked for everything that he’s earned,” Reaves said of Ham. “People like that are people that I like to put myself around and be around because, I mean, at the end of the day, when you do that, I feel like good things come from it. It’s just a winning mentality. So I’m just super happy. … Can’t wait to get to work.”
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Reaves is an optimist when asked about the Lakers’ future. He’s confident that the motivation from missing the Play-In tournament and the additional time off to rest and recover will light a fire under next season’s group.
“Give these guys four months until training camp starts to really be healthy and come into this season in attack mode,” Reaves said.
He looks at the Warriors as an example the Lakers can emulate next season. After one mediocre and one bad season, they were back in the Finals, led by their Hall of Fame core and a revamped supporting cast.
“You can say Golden State, for example,” Reaves said. “They go to the finals five years in a row and then they have like the worst record in the league and then decent the next year and then this year they’re back in the finals. So I feel like it’s really just more of getting healthy, staying healthy and then just really playing hard.”
Reaves showed at the end of last season that he can take on a larger offensive load if necessary, which he wasn’t asked to do frequently with James, Davis, Westbrook, Malik Monk and Carmelo Anthony on the team. Reaves was the first undrafted rookie in NBA history to record a 30-point triple-double in the Lakers’ comeback overtime win in Denver in the regular-season finale.
With a stronger frame and uptick in 3-point shooting, Reaves’ well-rounded repertoire should make him a key contributor on next season’s roster, whether he starts or comes off the bench.
“He can just kind of play whatever role he wants, really,” Buss said. “He has that type of versatility offensively.”
One of Reaves’ goals for next season is to have his contract with the Lakers guaranteed, which would provide security his camp believes he’s earned. He wants to win more than last season — a lot more. He also wants to polish his point guard and playmaking skill set.
In the meantime, he’ll be in the gym working out three times a day, four days a week, until next September. There are no plans for a vacation, or even a return trip home to Arkansas.
“I’m planning to be here the rest of the way,” Reaves said.
