Not all progress in a career is linear, but for Austin Reaves, that’s been the case. Each season, he’s gotten better, played more minutes, and earned a higher spot in the rotation.
Now he’s entering his
fifth year of professional basketball and while he’s grown a lot, there is still more he can do.
This year, he’s expected to be the third-best Lakers player at a minimum and he spent time in the weight room this summer to get himself ready for that role.
“I feel like I’m in a good spot, Reaves said on media day. “I spent a lot of time in the weight room, a lot of time on court. We played a lot of pickup. Just had a really fun summer.
“It’s fun to get in here and compete since, when the season’s over, you’re kind of like ‘It’s time to relax’ and then you get a month in and then you miss competing and just to get back in here and do that is a lot of fun. I can’t wait for the season to start.”
According to Lakers head coach JJ Redick, Reaves was “the best player in the gym” this summer. During the first Lakers preseason game, Reaves was also the best player for Los Angeles, dominating against the Suns.
It certainly seems like Reaves was able to balance working on his game while also enjoying his time away from the sport.
He is picking up right where he left off on his path to being the best player he can be. Thanks to his work in the weight room, he should be even stronger and more equipped to take on more on-ball responsibilities.
Reaves will be one of the offensive initiators on this team, along with LeBron James and Luka Dončić. Given the physical nature of perimeter defenders, Reaves needs to be able to handle that well, allowing him to drive into the paint and either finish strongly at the rim or pass out to shooters.
During his preseason debut, we saw Reaves having no problem staying strong against Phoenix’s defenders, getting to his spots and leading the charge for the Lakers.
Maximizing one’s potential is a mix of basketball reps, film work, and learning the details of being a professional. Working in the weight room falls into the details category, and it’s great to hear that Reaves worked on that in the summer. Even better is seeing the very early fruits of that labor during training camp and preseason contests.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
