Lakers: Austin Reaves Ranks Near the Top of the NBA in One Tough Stat

The Lakers have gotten lucky with a few guys this season. With the way that things have gone over the last couple of months, finding diamonds in the rough has

The Lakers have gotten lucky with a few guys this season. With the way that things have gone over the last couple of months, finding diamonds in the rough has been an answered prayer for Frank Vogel and his team. 

One of those guys is obviously Stanley Johnson, who they just inked to a 2-year deal this week. Johnson had been playing on his third 10-day contract of the year before the Lakers made it official. 

But another guy was signed to a contract much earlier in the season. The Lakers signed Austin Reaves initially to a two-way contract in August before making it official with a standard contract in September. Since then, Vogel has established himself as one of the guys that Vogel can rely on.

He's also brought with him a tenacity that the Lakers desperately need on both sides of the ball. So much so that Reaves has drawn the 7th most charges in the entire NBA, a stat that really highlights his ability to do it all for the team. 

When the Lakers signed Johnson to his contract, they added in the guy who is number 2 (5.0) in team net rating. Reaves ranked as the number 1 with a 9.1 rating, best on a team of really good players. 

But it's the usage that makes Reaves successful with the Lakers. He always seems to be in the right spot and he has often earned more work in Vogel's rotations. He seems to compliment the guys on the court very well, and his defensive tenacity has been clutch late in games. 

Don't be surprised to see more and more of Austin Reaves as the season comes to an end.