The Los Angeles Lakers are short-handed to start the season, and on the second night of a back-to-back, it really showed. However, in both games, Austin Reaves stepped up in the absence of Luka Doncic and LeBron James.
“Reaves recorded 51 points (12-22 FG, 6-10 3Pt, 21-22 FT), 11 rebounds, nine assists and two steals across 39 minutes during Sunday's 127-120 win over the Kings. The 27-year-old was given the keys to the offense Sunday with LeBron James (back) and Luka Doncic (finger) out of the lineup, and Reaves took full advantage, piling up a career-high 51 points,” CBS Sports wrote.
On Monday night, Reaves followed that performance with 41 points in a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. Reaves is clearly on fire right now, but his breakout stretch raises some future concerns. He’s likely to opt out of his contract at the end of the season, and if he continues to perform at this level, his market value will only increase.
“On top of that, if Reaves keeps churning out performances like that one, teams around the league will certainly take even more notice. That could hike up his pricetag in free agency and perhaps even make more teams interested in throwing him an offer. That’s dangerous for the Lakers. Reaves playing well is obviously amazing for the Lakers, but it’s going to make the team’s future a bit trickier to navigate after this season, one way or another,” Lake Show Life’s Jack Simone wrote.
This is something to keep an eye on as Reaves continues to prove he can be the focal point of an offense. He has been vocal about wanting to stay in Los Angeles beyond this season; however, things can always change.
The Lakers will undoubtedly want to keep him in LA, but with every high-scoring performance, his market value skyrockets. Reaves will be watched closely all season — and the Lakers have been warned.