Getty Lakers stars Austin Reaves and LeBron James
After the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Phoenix Suns on April 7, LeBron James was asked by reporters if Austin Reaves has exceeded his expectations of him.
The four-time MVP and four-time Finals MVP said he didn’t have any expectations since Reaves is an undrafted player.
“I didn’t have expectations for him,” James said. “When you get an undrafted guy on your roster, you don’t really have much expectations for him, but I knew the player that we were getting because like I said, I did watch a lot of film on him and seen his ability to play the point, play off the ball. He had a high basketball IQ, being able to either make plays for himself or find open guys and I could just see the IQ working every time he was playing a game at Oklahoma.”
Reaves had another stellar night for the Lakers against the Suns. The Arkansas native put up 22 points and five assists in 31 minutes while shooting 9-of-13 from the field. Reaves led the Lakers with a plus-minus of +18.
Los Angeles improved to 42-39 after beating Phoenix. The purple and gold are in seventh place in the Western Conference standings.
LeBron James on Austin Reaves: He’s Capable of Playing at This Level for a Long Time
Reaves is averaging 18.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 5.7 assists over his last 20 games. James, one of the greatest players in NBA history, believes Reaves is capable of playing at this level for a long time.
“Coach (Frank) Vogel threw him in the fire kind of right away or early on (and) you could see that he was capable of playing at this level for a long time,” James said. “So it was no surprise for me.”
The Lakers are 34-29 this season when Reaves plays. The 24-year-old is averaging 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 52.8% from the floor, 39.2% from beyond the arc and 86.3% from the free-throw line.
Los Angeles has one game left in the regular season. It hosts the Utah Jazz on April 9. If the Lakers win, they will secure a top-seven finish in the West.
The Lakers & Austin Reaves’ Camp Have Interest in Reaves Staying in Los Angeles
Reaves becomes a restricted free agent this summer. According to a March 20 report from Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers and Reaves’ camp have interest in Reaves staying in Los Angeles.
“Reaves’ surge is setting him up for a fascinating offseason,” Buha wrote. “He will be a restricted free agent this summer, and will undoubtedly have multiple suitors looking to pry him from the Lakers — especially after stat lines like Sunday’s. Both the Lakers and Reaves’ camp have interest in Reaves re-signing in Los Angeles, according to multiple league sources who were granted anonymity so that they could speak freely. The max the Lakers can offer Reaves is a four-year, $50.8 million contract if they chose to use his Early Bird Rights, but they also have the power to match any contract he signs with another team.”
The maximum the Lakers can offer Reaves this offseason is a four-year, $50.8 million contract if they use his Early Bird Rights, per Buha.