Reaves might also find himself in a tougher fight for minutes off the bench. Augustin, Reaves will have to beat out Patrick Beverley, Kendrick Nunn (hopefully), and Lonnie Walker IV for a starting job on the 2022-23 Lakers - with the understanding that Russell Westbrook will remain the starting point guard, as he was a year ago.Įven if Reaves improves upon his performance as a rookie, specifically becoming more accurate from 3-point range, that may not be enough to stand out among the new crop of guards in purple and gold, though head coach Darvin Ham did express some excitement at how Reaves has looked during offseason workouts.Ĭould Austin Reaves find his way into the Lakers’ starting lineup? Rather than competing for minutes against the likes of Kent Bazemore, Avery Bradley, Wayne Ellington, and D.J. Reaves started 19 of his 61 games last season, all of those coming after the All-Star Break, but there’s a new coaching staff and a better guard room for the Lakers this time around. KplZQt7WYS- Shams Charania September 13, 2022 Lakers' Austin Reaves sits down with 'I definitely don't pass the eye test and I'm not the most athletic in the world, but I've figured it out so far.' On goal of starting role in 2022-23, LeBron and Kobe, believing he's the best golfer in the NBA, and more. But I mean at the end of the day, I just want to win, and accept whatever role that they want me to have.” But you know starting is always, especially as a Laker with the guys that we have, is cool. “It's always, I mean, a goal to be in the starting five, but whatever role that they want to give me, I’ll be happy to take and try to do that to the best of my abilities. In an interview with Shams Charania for Stadium, Reaves shared that one of his goals is to be a starter for the 2022-23 Lakers. But Reaves didn’t get to the league from a no-name town in Arkansas by setting expectations low, and that will continue into his sophomore season. Merely maintaining the level of his first season in year 2 would be a successful outcome for a player with Reaves’ draft status. Austin Reaves exceeded the most optimistic Lakers fans’ wildest dreams last year by making the team as an undrafted rookie, cracking the rotation in the second game of the season, and then leading the Lakers in net rating among players who suited up for at least 20 contests.

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