LOS ANGELES – Amidst the flurry of moves the Los Angeles Lakers made this season in pursuit of an 18th championship, one that certainly fell under the radar was the signing of guard Austin Reaves.
(Courtesy of LakeShow Highlights)
Unless you’re a fan of Big-12 basketball and never missed an Oklahoma game, chances are Lakers fans had little idea who this kid was heading into the season. Reaves went undrafted during the 2021 NBA Draft, but GM Rob Pelinka and his scouts clearly saw something nobody else did.
Reaves turned heads with some solid games during the NBA Summer league and Pelinka decided to give Reaves a two-way contract. The thought process was probably he will spend most of the year with their G-League affiliate the South Bay Lakers and should injuries pile up, bring him up for a cup of coffee.
Outside of the nickname “Hillbilly Kobe” he was dubbed at Oklahoma, there was little we knew about Reaves as well as small expectations of producing at the NBA level. However, he proved he could be more than some rookie comic relief. He can definitely play and displayed his skills, maturity, and confidence during the pre-season.
That cup of coffee quickly became a daily venti latte.
With the Lakers getting slammed with injuries to veterans like Wayne Ellington, Trevor Ariza, Kendrick Nunn, Talen Horton-Tucker, and recently to LeBron James early this season, head coach Frank Vogel was forced to give Reaves extended playing time.
So far, Reaves has answered the call in a huge way. His heady, poised demeanor combined with a high IQ, strong on-ball, scrappy defense, and ability to knock down outside shots has allowed him to earn Vogel’s trust. In a season where finding the right combination of lineups especially defensively has been a problem for Vogel, he’s been able to count on Reaves to set the tone and consistently provide that defensive prowess, even in high leverage situations.
In the Lakers’ overtime win over the Charlotte Hornets; he took on the challenges of trying to contain phenom LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier late in the fourth quarter and into overtime. Not to mention, he drew three offensive fouls in that game and made a clutch jumper in the final minutes of regulation.
Many believe Reaves’ presence is compensating for fan favorite Alex Caruso departing from the Lakers and signed a big contract with the Chicago Bulls this offseason.
While Reaves isn’t Caruso, their trajectory isn’t far off either. Caruso was relatively unknown when he came to the Lakers, worked his way up the depth chart with his great defense and hustle plays, and became an integral part of the Lakers’ 2020 championship run starring in his role alongside James and Anthony Davis.
Reaves is headed in that same direction. If he continues to play well and helps the Lakers win games while all of these other role players remain out, Vogel will likely keep Reaves in the rotation even when guys like Nunn and THT return. The fact that he gives a tough defensive effort every night scores him plenty of points with Vogel and that will likely mean consistent minutes.
The Lakers have had issues with consistency this season on both ends of the floor as they continue to find an identity. Reaves doesn’t have that issue personally, he knows who he is, and knows what he has to do every time he steps on the court to help his team get a W. It’s also a credit to the front office and scouting department for finding another hidden gem with tremendous upside.
The lanky kid they call “Hillbilly Kobe” actually embraces that Mamba Mentality of playing hard and showing no fear every time he’s in the game. Who would’ve thought this loaded Lakers roster with all this star power would need an undrafted rookie to be an X-factor them this year?
