Lakers News: Austin Reaves Unpacks Second Season Growth, Impending Free Agency

LA's starting shooting guard has improved at just the right time.

Breakout Los Angeles Lakers starting shooting guard Austin Reaves is peaking at just the right time for his bank account.

Across 64 regular season games this season, Reaves scored a career-best 13.0 points per game, on a career-best .529/.398/.864 shooting splits. He also chipped in 3.4 assists and 3.0 rebounds.

Since he moved into the starting lineup for LA's final ten games of the 2022-23 regular season, Reaves has averaged 18.3 points per, on sparkling .571/.486/.898 shooting splits, 6.1 dimes, and 3.3 boards.

In his postseason debut for LA during the team's 108-102 overtime win over the Minnesota Timberwolves Tuesday, he notched a fairly modest 12 points on an uncharacteristically inefficient 4-of-13 shooting from the floor (1-of-5 from deep) and 3-of-3 shooting from the free throw line, in addition to pulling down six rebounds and dishing out three dimes (albeit against three turnovers). At least he played decent defense on his All-Star Timberwolves counterpart, Anthony Edwards.

A restricted free agent this summer, the 6'5" swingman is set to earn a big raise, either from LA or from any number of rival clubs who could tender him a poison pill offer that the Lakers would then have to choose to match.

He recently sat down with Shams Charania of Stadium to discuss his improvement this year and his hopes for his own free agency:

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves sits down with @Stadium: “I want to be a Laker, so hopefully we can get this done and I can stay there for hopefully my whole career.” On upcoming free agency, a special 2021 training camp moment, surprising his opponents, much more: pic.twitter.com/sa83nlnatT

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 10, 2023

"I mean obviously you never want to have any of your teammates injured or [be] set back with some stuff, but you play the hand you're dealt," Reaves commented of his second season. "It's been cool, though having a little bit more responsibility, a little bit more [of a] role [this season. It's been fun and I feel like I've taken advantage of it."

In terms of his future with the only NBA team he's ever known, Reaves was pretty succinct.

“I want to be a Laker, so hopefully we can get this done and I can stay there for hopefully my whole career,” Reaves said.

It's a lofty ambition, especially when even good role players can last for 10-12 years and cycle through various career phases. Time will tell if LA and Reaves can get this done, though he's certainly been an incredibly important, cost-effective piece for the 2022-23 Lakers.

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