Austin Reaves is a rookie for the Lakers this season. He’s been playing great and this has many Laker fans salivating. But a lot of people are comparing him to Alex Caruso. And this is not a really fair comparison.
There’ll never be another Alex Caruso. C’mon. But there are some similarities. They’re both 6’5 combo guards that went undrafted and are exceeding expectations. They both play with determination and hussle. And let’s keep it real, the reason that a lot of people are comparing the two is because they’re both white. But that’s pretty much where the similarities end.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t be excited about Reaves. I mean they don’t call him Hillbilly Kobe for nothing. He brings his own talents to the table. And the Lakers clearly see that. First of all, let’s go back to how he became a Laker. He’s not as underrated as his draft status makes him out to be. He actually had the opportunity to get drafted in the second round. But decided not to get drafted for a possibility of making the Lakers roster by signing a two way contract. So he gambled on himself making it on a stacked LA team, rather than get a guaranteed spot on another team. And so far its working out for him. Honestly, if you’re in LA, you’re gonna be more well-known than if you were on another team. That’s just part of being a Laker. Especially if you play hard, the fans will show you that love and annoyingly tweet about you nonstop. I mean we turned Alex Caruso into the GOAT on social media, and only now are people starting to realize that he can actually ball. But anyway, back to Reaves. He then signs a two-way contract, and impresses the Lakers so much that they decided to convert that to a regular guaranteed contract.
And now Frank Vogel really trusts him that he’s made the rotation and is playing in key moments. But he’s really a talented player. Now I don’t think he’s gonna be an all star, but he’s definitely an NBA player. He might even make an all rookie team this season. I predict all rookie 2nd team. But why does Frank Vogel trust him so much? Well one thing is he doesn’t really have a choice. A lot of their guards are injured, so he has to play. But a lot of times he’s getting more minutes than the available veterans at his position. So he must be doing something right. He’s getting all this playing time because he’s a high IQ player. He just understands the game. He knows where he needs to be and he’s at the right place at the right time. Add to that his hussle and determination. He really tries, especially on the defensive end. He’s not cocky, but he’s confident. He looks very comfortable playing alongside these veterans and future hall of famers. He looks like he belongs. He looks very comfortable handling the ball, cutting to the basket, shooting when he’s open. He’s playing like he’s been in the league for years.
I have to admit that when they originally signed him to the guaranteed contract, I was a little disappointed because I'd rather them spend that money on a veteran wing player, which is a position they are still very short on. And I’m not completely backing off of that stance. Like I said, a big reason he’s getting all these minutes is because of injuries. Once THT and Kendrick Nunn come back, I doubt Reaves is gonna get the nod over them. I think those two are clearly the better players. And if he’s unlikely to get minutes later on, then being on a two way contract would be beneficial to him because he would be able to get playing time in the g-league and then get called up when they’re short handed on the main roster. And it would be beneficial to the Lakers because they would have an extra roster spot to sign another veteran, and again another wing player. But alas, that’s not the direction that they chose to go in. But this isn’t the worst thing in the world. Having a talented young guard that you can count on in situations. And you never know, he could stick in the rotation. He is unlikely to outplay THT and Nunn, although we have yet to see how they look like this season. But he could challenge the other guards like Monk, Rondo, and Ellington for minutes. I mean we’ve already seen instances where Vogel chose to play Reaves over these guys..
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