With 40 seconds left in the first quarter of his team’s season opener, Austin Reaves saw a glimpse into his future.
After receiving a screen from Marcus Smart, Reaves was suddenly blitzed near halfcourt
by two Warriors’ defenders. It was the type of defensive strategy normally reserved for the league’s most feared scorers like his teammate, Luka Dončić, and not someone who has yet to sniff an all-star game.
But there Reaves stood against two bodies, four arms, four legs and the ball in his hands. His response? The same as it always has been in his short career — attack it head on.
With a slick behind-the-back dribble that nearly caused him to stumble to the floor, Reaves shed Brandin Podziemski to create an opening. Then with the basket flashing in his sights like an emergency exit, he lofted a layup over the outstretched fingers of Al Horford. It wasn’t pretty, but disaster was averted. The test was passed.
“That was impressive,” Noah Eagle professed on the national broadcast. It was just one possession, but it foreshadowed the type of aggressive defense Reaves would see all night against Golden State. It also served as an appetizer to what awaits the 27-year-old this season and beyond.
Since entering the league in 2021, Reaves has transformed more than Jeff Goldblum did in The Fly. Shapeshifting from an undrafted glue-guy to a plus-minus darling to a bona fide third-option alongside the likes of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Reaves’ role has mutated annually.
Last season, Reaves’ on-ball responsibility took it’s biggest leap yet as he was tasked with being the Lakers’ secondary perimeter creator after James. It was a bumpy transition, but Reaves ultimately excelled, putting up career numbers nearly across the board. This season, the Lakers will need even more.
With James sidelined until at least November, Reaves will have to be the team’s other offensive engine alongside Dončić. And in the minutes when the star takes a breath, he’ll be the only offensive engine. More Green Lantern than Robin to Dončić‘s Batman, Reaves will have to show he deserves the gig and that he should be paid accordingly.
After expectantly turning down the Lakers’ extension offer this summer, Reaves is now set to hit the open market this upcoming offseason in search of max money. If he wants it to come from Los Angeles, it will need to come on the back of another strong year and further proof that he is the right long-term backcourt mate next to Dončić.
In his first outing of the season, Reaves’ game was a microcosm of his continued strengths and the areas of improvement that still remain.
Despite the Warriors’ best attempts to use their physicality against him, Reaves was impressively resilient. He met force with speed. When the defense pressed up against him, he hit the turbo button and blew past them. When they closed off the paint, he became a Slinky, using his wiggle to slither around their barricade. The longer the game went on, the more pieces of the puzzle he put together.
Reaves’ ability to routinely get downhill and puncture the Warriors’ armor in the manner he did was particularly important in the context of James’ absence both in the short term and projecting forward.
According to the league’s tracking data, Reaves logged 20 drives against the Warriors on opening night. That may not be sustainable as it was ten more than his season average a year ago, but it is the exact type of aggression the Lakers will need consistently to generate points.
His final boxscore tally was an efficient 26 points, nine assists and five rebounds. It’s the type of line a majority of the league would kill for. Unfortunately, it also does not tell the whole story.
Despite the numbers, Reaves never really left his fingerprints on the game. He scored, dished and did what the stats said he did. But a majority of those stats came late and, at times, were counterbalanced by recurring flaws.
“I led the group tonight in turnovers, so point the finger at me,” Reaves said following the game. He added that his five interceptions were a combination of “timing” mistakes in the pick and roll between he and the Lakers’ new center, DeAndre Ayton, and others just being “dumb.”
Turnovers will ultimately happen, especially with more on-ball responsibility and new teammates. However, there is a clear difference between the ones a coach can live with and the dumb ones Reaves detailed. The latter are ones the Lakers will need Reaves to limit.
With the Lakers switching as often as they did, the Warriors attacked several Lakers all night, including Reaves. His five fouls — which also led the team — were a byproduct of that.
Like turnovers, fouls are not always a bad thing and could be a sign of defensive effort. The flip side is that they also could signal an inability to stop the opposition. Whichever was the case, Reaves is ultimately too valuable to the offense to put himself in a position to be sidelined with foul trouble.
The other glaring number five from Reaves’ game was his 1-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc. Among the many statistical markers to monitor this season, Reaves’ 3-point shooting next to Dončić has the potential to be one of the most important.
Although his final season numbers always grade out well in the aggregate, Reaves’ true talent lies more on the streaky side opposed to that of a consistent marksman from deep. That will have to lean more in the other direction this year to create proper spacing and chemistry with Dončić.
If this all sounds like nitpicking, well it is. And that may be the strongest indication of the upper echelon Reaves has reached.
A 26/9/5 game? Ho-hum. The Lakers can and will need more. Those are the standards Reaves’ play deserves to be judged because he has shown too many times he is capable. Mixed or even good performances won’t hack it. Not on this team and not for what’s at stake for him individually.
Regardless of the star he shares the floor with, Reaves isn’t blindsiding anyone anymore. His name will be circled in red ink on opposing scouting reports. The Draymond Greens of the world are going to be riding his hip every time he puts the ball on the deck. He is going to have to make his own magic.
Reaves is him and every night teams — including his own — will want to see him prove it.
All stats courtesy of Cleaning the Glass unless otherwise stated. You can follow Alex on Bluesky at @alexregla.bsky.social.
