In only a short amount of time, Austin Reaves has become a quality third or fourth option for the Los Angeles Lakers. Seeing how he was an undrafted prospect, L.A. got lucky by getting a player of Reaves’ caliber, especially that he was NBA-ready in his rookie season.
A major factor in the Arkansas product getting playing time in the first place was his willingness to do the dirty work. That quickly earned LeBron James and Anthony Davis’ respect, meaning more minutes were coming his way.
Now, Reaves is a prominent starter and set to be a major piece of this Lakers core going forward. With James entering his 22nd season and his son Bronny being drafted by the purple and gold, Reaves is excited about the prospect of playing with both of them side by side, via Lakers reporter Nicole Ganglani:
On playing with LeBron and Bronny:
“For LeBron to just put himself in position to play with his son, it’s special. I know he will be motivated to play at his peak level. For me to be around them and to see what it’s going to be like, that’s going to be very cool for me.”
— Nicole Ganglani (@nicoleganglani) August 3, 2024
This also puts the 26-year-old guard a part of history as LeBron and Bronny come together to form the first father-son duo in NBA history. Admittedly, there will be unwarranted media attention and expectations placed on Bronny, but that comes with the L.A. spotlight.
Nonetheless, when LeBron is able to share the floor with his son, would become the cherry on top of his illustrious career outside of winning a fifth championship. It will also be intriguing to see how Bronny complements other players on the Lakers roster, like Reaves.
Given how Reaves is to play more on the ball, it allows Bronny to fit in as a primary point-of-attack defender and someone who can hit spot-up 3-pointers. However, that is going to take time as the expectation is the 19-year-old will spend a majority of his rookie season in the G League in order to develop his game.
Austin Reaves looking to gain more muscle in offseason
While Austin Reaves is an older player with a four-year collegiate career, it does not mean that he cannot improve. There has been some steady improvement with more on-ball responsibilities, but putting on more muscle this offseason is something that the Lakers guard is focused on.
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