Austin Reaves emerged as one of the most promising young stars in the NBA last season. In what many consider to be his breakout season, Reaves managed to not only have a big impact in the regular season, he also took his game to an entirely new level in the playoffs.
Heading into the offseason, and free agency, it was no secret that Austin Reaves was going to get paid. Much like Lakers GM Rob Pelinka stated during the 2022-23 season, retaining the team’s young core was a high priority. Rather than let Reaves walk and accept a contract elsewhere, the team signed him to a four-year $56 million max contract.
Then, Reaves managed to surprise fans and analysts once again, putting forth a number of stellar performances with Team USA in the FIBA World Cup. While many U.S. fans expected Reaves to be a roleplayer on a team with the likes of Anthony Edwards and Mikal Bridges, he quickly cemented himself as a key player.
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For the budding young star, however, he always believed that he would break through and prove himself. While speaking in a recent interview with The Ringer, Austin Reaves’ agent, Aaron Reilly, reflected on his unique mindset, recalling a conversation the two had:
“What do you hope to do in this league?” “He [said]: ‘I want to tell everyone to f*ck off.’ He’s not kidding. His mindset is like, ‘I’m going to kill this year.’ And I think the playoffs were a real big thing for that.
“And now (after) USA Basketball, he’s comfortable now. Now he knows. ‘I don’t have to worry about [the] contract. I don’t have to worry about money. I just have to worry about hooping and winning basketball games.’”
Austin Reaves’ growth over the past year ahead of the 2023-24 NBA season
Although it’s no secret that Austin Reaves had a breakout year last season, his numbers highlight just how impressive the season was. During his rookie year with the LA Lakers throughout the 2021-22 season, Reaves averaged 7.3 points per game along with 3.2 rebounds per game.
This past season, he took things to the next level, averaging 13.0 points per game and 3.4 assists per game, while only playing an average of five more minutes. The jump in efficiency was evident on the stat sheet as well, where Reaves improved on his field goal percentage, bringing it up to 51.9% from 45.9% in his rookie year.
It was the same from beyond the arc as well, with Reaves averaging 38.3% from downtown last season, compared to 31.7% from beyond the arc the season before. As previously stated, however, Reaves’ play in the playoffs was simply on another level.
After averaging 13.0 ppg during the regular season, Austin Reaves improved to 16.9 ppg in the playoffs, while also averaging 4.6 apg and 4.4 rpg. Similarly, his efficiency also improved from beyond the arc as he averaged 44.3% from downtown in the playoffs.
Following an impressive run with Team USA in the FIBA World Cup this offseason, it’s clear that Reaves has high hopes heading into the 2023-24 NBA season. With the Lakers retaining their young players, and the dynamic duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis out for revenge, this season is shaping up to be a big one.
