Lakers: Kendrick Perkins Makes Bold Claim on Austin Reaves' Minutes

Austin Reaves has impressed everyone in the limited time he has gotten on the court so far.

Like clockwork, Austin Reaves seems to be filling in the shoes left by Alex Caruso as the fan favorite. Having made the regular season roster right before training camp started, Reaves successfully gambled on himself, telling teams to avoid drafting him, so he can pick his own destination as an undrafted rookie. With the abrupt injuries to Trevor Ariza and Talen Horton-Tucker, Reaves has found himself on the court more than originally thought.

what a pass by Austin Reaves

https://t.co/v7DG7incFL

— Slightly Biased (@BiasedSlightly) October 30, 2021

In a small sample size of five games this season, Reaves has played about 20 minutes a game and averaged 6.2 points on 55% shooting, and about a 41.7% three-point shooting. His defense is no slouch either, as he fits exactly with coach Frank Vogel’s defensive pedigree of defense, especially with how hard Reaves hustles on every possession.

Per 36-minutes, Reaves stats trickle up to 11.3 points, and over two rebounds and assists each. Not bad, considering the Lakers signed him off the scrap heap of undrafted rookies. You won’t find many rookies outside the top-15 drafted that are already making a positive impact on the court, let alone a championship contender like the Lakers.

NBA champion and current NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins tweeted out a hot take during the Lakers win against the Cavaliers in regards to Hill Billy Kobe.

Vogel need to give all Bazemore’s minutes to Reaves... but I get it the Lakers probably promised Kent minutes when he signed!!! Don’t mind me tho and Carry the hell on...

— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) October 30, 2021

Kent Bazemore’s singular value is playing strong individual defense, something he is tasked to do on a nightly basis guarding the opposing teams’ best wing players. Any offense that Bazemore gives to the Lakers is considered a bonus, as he is hitting threes at a 39.1% clip in six games. At this juncture, it seems that Perkins is too quick to jump the gun in wanting Reaves to take more of Bazemore’s minutes, as a larger sample size may actually hurt Reaves positive impact on the court for now.

Reaves is an old, high IQ rookie at 23, but there are obviously still many nuances of gameplay that he misses due to his lack of experience. Vogel’s trust in giving Reaves 20 minutes a game this early in the season should be considered a great sign for the Lakers and fans. In a way, it is a blessing in disguise for Reaves in terms of the injuries which have allowed him to gain on-court experience to build his confidence, something he would not have given the chance had everyone been healthy already.