Chandler Parsons irked many Los Angeles Lakers fans in October in 2023 when he belittled Austin Reaves will be a role player at best and his averages won’t standout.
Chandler Parsons doesn’t believe Austin Reaves will progress beyond being a 15/5/5 player and feels he’s already approaching his ceiling
“He’s not a player who’s going to continue to get exceptionally better. It’s not like the potential is through the roof with him.”
(Via… pic.twitter.com/WixsiJFKlB
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 24, 2023
This was take made as people were debating if the Lakers have a big 3 together with Lebron James and Anthony Davis who is now with the Dallas Mavericks. Even former Lakers point guard Patrick Beverley thought this Parsons take was outrageous and he urged the 11-season NBA veteran to apologize.
White on White crime smh @ChandlerParsons now apologize like man 🧍♂️ https://t.co/2xtUL3CSay
— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) March 31, 2025
Reaves has a difficult path to get to the NBA. He went undrafted in 2021 after three standout seasons with the Oklahoma Sooners in college. He joined the Lakers in 2021 and instantly became a fan favorite because of his reliable plays and high basketball IQ.
Austin Reaves with better stats than Lebron James?
To be fair with Parsons did average 15.9 points after the 2023-2024 season. His rebounds and assists numbers were below four. Might not be a hot take at that time from him.
Years have passed and Parsons’ tune about Reaves have changed because the latter just let his game talk. The fifth year guard has been the Lakers’ savior with Luka Doncic and James out. He first scored a career high of 51 points to send them to a victory over the Sacramento Kings and then hit a game winner against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
His current scoring average is double of that Parson prediction from two years ago with 34.2.
The ex NBA player is willing to have his mind changed. However, his new take might be just as controversial.
“At the end of the season, I think Austin Reaves’ numbers will be better than LeBron James’ numbers,” Parsons said in the Run it Back show. He has a disclaimer though.
“How many minutes is LeBron James gonna play? How many games is he gonna play? [Austin Reaves] is going to be, hopefully, consistent throughout the whole season.”
Reaves is regarded as the third best player in the team and his ascend is safe to say because of the absence of the two stars. He was effective with James and Doncic in and it should not be a problem for him if his touches get lessened once the two returns.
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