Austin Reaves rarely has troubles finding opportunities for his own shot. The Los Angeles Lakers star is silky smooth when it comes to getting to his spots, creating space, and finding the bottom of the bucket. The next part of his offensive evolution comes from his passing game.
Reaves will be looking to lock up the biggest payday of his career with a strong season in 2025-26. If that new contract is going to keep him in Los Angeles, proving his long-term fit next to Luka Doncic will be a big part of the equation for Rob Pelinka and the Lakers front office.
There are little things like fine-tuning the catch and shoot game when on the receiving end of a Doncic outlet pass. The concerns defensively are ones many have been quick to pinpoint and highlight as the most troubling part of pairing the two guards together for the foreseeable future.
Those have probably been blown out of proportion due to the overall roster construction. With Reaves, it's the little things that will go a long way. Being able to fully excel as a playmaker will make any decision to involve him in the long-term plans that much easier.
Austin Reaves’ next step is showing he can truly run the Lakers offense
LeBron James will miss a significant chunk of time to start the 2025-26 NBA season due to his sciatica injury. In his absence, Reaves will be tasked with being the next man up to lead the Lakers offense when Doncic is either off the court or needs a break from being overused on the ball.
Throughout the preseason thus far, Reaves has proven incredibly capable of getting his own baskets. Creating for others has been a different story.
Reaves has averaged 2.3 assists per game through three contests in the preseason. That number, which is already lackluster, looks even worse when stacked up against the giveaways. The Lakers guard has averaged 3.7 turnovers per game.
Granted, this is preseason, and there's plenty of time to clean this type of stuff up. The Lakers are also in the process of integrating several new players into the mix. A little bit of sloppy play is to be expected.
Even so, Reaves is stepping up to fill James' shoes. The Lakers superstar forward has always been a decisive playmaker, able to lift those around him with his passing. The younger guard will need to supplement that sort of presence on the court.
Reaves has posted a career mark of 4.3 assists per game over his four-year career leading up to this season. 2024-25 was the best playmaking campaign for him, averaging a career-best 5.8 assists a night.
Seeing that number climb just a little bit higher while maintaining the turnovers at a manageable mark would help the Lakers hit the ceiling of what they are capable of offensively. It would also steadily put more and more money in Reaves' bag for 2026 free agency.