NBA

Lakers’ head coach Darvin Ham thinks SG Austin Reaves ‘will be an All-Star at some point soon’

Austin Reaves Lakers pic

During the current offseason and free agency period, the Lakers have made multiple moves to improve their roster. They’ve signed a few free agents, but they’ve also retained their own talent for long-term deals. One fan-favorite coming back on a four-year, $54 million max contract is SG, Austin Reaves. His head coach Darvin Ham said that Reaves “will be an All-Star at some point soon”. 

To begin his NBA career in 2021, Reaves went undrafted out of Arkansas. He was initially on a two-way contract with the Lakers and worked his way to a two-year, $2.4 million contract. All he needed was a chance and the Lakers gave him that opportunity.

Reaves had an average rookie season, but the team knew he had more potential in him. He improved his three-point shooting in year two drastically and that earned him more playing. Moving forward, the 25-year-old is the starting SG for the LA Lakers according to his head coach.

Austin Reaves has all-star potential according to head coach Darvin Ham

On the #thisleague UNCUT podcast with Marc Stein and Chris Haynes, they sat down for an interview with Lakers’ head coach Darvin Ham. He’s heading into his second season as head coach and was asked about SG Austin Reaves. Ham only had positive things to say about Reaves.

During the interview, he noted that Reaves likes to keep things simple off the court, but he loves to work on his craft. Additionally, Ham loves how the undrafted SG is fearless and the moment is never too big for him. His plan is to feature Reaves in their offensive game plan next season.

In the 2023 postseason, Reaves was the third-highest scorer per game (16.9 points) after LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Through their 16 playoff games, he shot an incredible (.443) percent from deep. That kind of consistency in the postseason is what can earn you a payday in the offseason.

Reaves was lucky enough to get that four-year, $54 million max contract. Not too bad for a player who was undrafted just two seasons ago. He’ll look to build off his success in the playoffs and carry that over to the 2023-24 season.