With NBA All-Star voting officially underway, fans, media, players and coaches alike are all considering who the best players in the league are.
With Austin Reaves being a fan-favorite and having a career
year, averaging 27.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game, he will most certainly be in strong consideration for his first All-Star appearance.
After practice on Monday, head coach JJ Redick gave a glowing recommendation for his guard to make the All-Star team.
“I would imagine it would mean a whole lot to him,” Redick said. “Him and I have had discussions about how surreal it is for him to be playing at this level and in this position. I, obviously, absolutely think he should be an All-Star this year. You always got to be careful as an athlete to stop and smell the roses.
“It’s just the nature of competition, particularly when there’s 82 games. There’s not really a time to take your foot off the gas. That’s the offseason. I think he’s the type of player who consistently wants to get better, consistently wants more. He’s willing to put in the work and he’s willing to then go out on the court and play hard enough to actually go for more. He’s proven that over and over and over again.”
Reaves has yet to be involved in any All-Star festivities. He was in the top 10 in All-Star fan voting in the first returns last year but didn’t make the team. Reaves also never made the Rising Stars roster, which was a snub that motivated him.
While All-Star work is missing from Reaves’ resume, it’s not because he isn’t doing his part.
On the mountain of progress that is an NBA player’s development, there are often peaks and valleys. For Reaves though, it’s just been a steady and steep incline. Every single season throughout his five-year career, he’s increased his production in points and assists.
While such consistent improvement is a rarity, Redick envisioned it from the moment he began working with Reaves.
“Our first conversation when I took the job was ‘You’re going to be an All-Star,’ Redick said. “So, yeah, I believed it. By the way, I’m not going to every player and saying that. I actually said it because I believed it.”
Redick clarifying that he doesn’t blow smoke to every player about them being an All-Star is an important note. He wants us to know he only says something this grand when it is his expectation. Based on Reaves’ production, at this point, it seems inevitable that he will make his All-Star debut here in Los Angeles this season.
Reaves has Redick’s stamp of approval and given how well he’s performing for the Lakers, the entire NBA will acknowledge his game in a way they never have.
He might never have made a Rising Stars team, won Most Improved Player, or Sixth Man of the Year, but soon enough, he will be an All-Star. And it’ll be a great moment for Reaves, Redick and all Lakers fans to see the homegrown talent go from undrafted to All-Star.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
