NBA Scout Claims Lakers Can't Win With Austin Reaves in Big Three

This NBA West scout has an interesting take on L.A.'s starting point guard.

Dec 13, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) and teammates head to the bench for the break after the first quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images / Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers are a team heading on a downward spiral. They have lost eight of their last 11 games and are showing signs of going nowhere. 

The Lakers are far from a contender as things stand. Their defense is atrocious, their offense is nowhere near where it should be or expect it to be, and they don't have enough horsepower to compete with the best teams in the league. 

On top of that, superstar LeBron James is out, and nobody knows for how long. The Lakers have a lot more questions than answers at the moment, and it's not a great place to be. 

The Lakers need to make drastic moves to be considered contenders. What moves they will make are a mystery, but if you ask one NBA scout, they need to get a real 'No. 3' behind James and Anthony Davis because Austin Reaves is not enough. 

One Western Conference scout believes Reaves is not good enough to be the Lakers' third option. 

"If Austin Reaves is your third-best player -- and I love Austin, I think he's a very good basketball player -- but if he's your third-best player, you're not a championship contender, you're just not," one of the West scouts told Dave McMenamin of ESPN. "If you put Austin Reaves on the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Boston Celtics, he's probably the fifth-, maybe even sixth-best player, on those rosters."

The Lakers have a 13-12 record through their first 25 games of the season. Davis has been good for the most part, and James has been hold and cold. 

The Lakers don't have the depth pieces to carry the load. Reaves has been solid when he has been on the court, and the numbers tell you just that. Reaves is averaging 16.8 points per game, 3.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.0 steals in 33.6 minutes of action and 20 games. 

Prior to Friday night, Reaves missed the last five games due to a left pelvic contusion. Although Reaves has some shining moments, he has limitations, which is why he was an undrafted player in the 2021 draft. 

He is an undersized shooting guard and isn't quite athletic enough on either side of the ball. While he is shifty and flashy, Reaves, as the No. 3 option on a contender, is not a spot where one wants to be. 

The Lakers are there at the moment, which is why a trade is imperative. Reaves on a contender not being the third option is a spot many teams would love to be on. While he is beloved in Los Angeles, Reaves as the third-best player may not be enough for the Lakers. 

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