Lakers News: John Hollinger Considers Austin Reaves Among Best Of His Draft Class

The Athletic puts Lakers undrafted guard as among best in 2021 draft class.

In recent memory, the Lakers' top draft picks have not panned out for many reasons, whether that's because L.A. had the opportunity to trade for more proven talent or they didn't pan out, so they ended up trading them.

The chances of hitting on a great player in the draft are very slim; however, it's odd that the Lakers seemed to whiff on most of them, but that's a discussion for a different article.

The top first-round draft picks for the Lakers have been suspect, but their late first-round picks, second-round picks, and undrafted players have been surprisingly great, for the most part.

Kyle Kuzma, a late first-round pick, was a vital member of the 2020 championship team. Jordan Clarkson, a second-round pick, made All-Rookie first team and has panned out a promising career for himself, and recently, you have Austin Reaves, who has come out of nowhere and has stolen the show for Laker fans.

Reaves is the latest in how great the Lakers' scouting department has been and how thorough they've been in vetting these young players in the draft.

Reaves has earned a spot in the rotation, which is why The Atheltic's John Hollinger has Reaves as the best in his draft class.

"Undrafted from Oklahoma, there's a real chance Reaves leads the Lakers in minutes this season despite only starting 11 games (LeBron James is only 37 ahead of him). While this probably says more about his team than it does about Reaves, the second-year pro has also proven he's a keeper at this level. He operates as a low-usage wing on this team but plays with enough craft that one can see him ramping up in another environment. Reaves can handle the ball and pass, and this season, he's made his open shots (37.2 percent from 3, 89.1 percent from the line); he's also been very effective on midrange shots and floaters this season, shooting a scalding 62.3 percent on 2s as a result. (If you think that's a fluke, he made 61.6 percent last season.) Combined with a respectable defensive performance, he's been among the few Laker role players to make a positive contribution."

The undrafted guard from Oklahoma has already exceeded expectations by cracking the Lakers roster, but to be playing a pivotal role in this Lakers team is something none of us expected when L.A. picked up the 24-year-old.

Right now, the Oklahoma alum is out due to a hamstring injury, but when he's on, Reaves provides a spark and plays hard whenever he's on the floor.

The Lakers recently guaranteed his contract, and I can't think of a more deserving player than Austin.