Lakers News: Austin Reaves Remains Favorite For Award He's About To Be Ineligible For

It may not be in the cards for the Laker guard

The Los Angeles Lakers and head coach Darvin Ham continue this carousel of who will start and who will come off the bench. The Lakers have had no consistent starting lineup all season, which has played a part in their struggles through 40 games. 

It's been frustrating to witness, especially with a healthy LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Nonetheless, when Laker guard Austin Reaves is out there, he does all he can to lead the team to victory, whether coming off the bench or in the starting lineup. While coming off the bench, Austin put up his standard numbers, making him the odds-on favorite for the Six Man of the Year. 

However, now that he's starting games, he may be ineligible for the award. But, HoopsHype still has Reaves among the top to win the award. 

Collin Sexton is the Sixth Man of the Year so far, per HoopsHype's Global Rating.

He could disappear from the list soon since he's starting now, though. pic.twitter.com/XG3jXUpAXR

— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) January 13, 2024

He's ranked at two behind Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton. 

According to VegasInsider, Reaves has dipped tremendously in that category. Just a couple of weeks ago, he had the best odds, and now, he sits with the sixth-best odds at +1400. Dallas Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. sits with the best odds at +230, followed by former Laker Malik Monk and Hawsk guard Bogdan Bogdanovic. 

Through 39 games and 14 starts, Austin is putting up 15.1 points per game, 5.2 assists, and 4.3 rebounds, while shooting 48% from the field and 34% from behind the arc. 

For Reaves to be eligible for the award, he must come off the bench more games than he starts. Right now, he's come off the bench in 25 games, but if he remains in the starting lineup, you can forget about adding a second Laker to winning a Sixth Man of The Year.