Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves has proven himself to be one of the most important players on the team. Reaves is the unofficial third option of the Lakers and has performed well into his fourth season in the league. His play in the 2024-25 NBA season has earned him high praise from former Miami Heat guard Gabe Vincent.
Reaves has become the starting facilitator for the Los Angeles team following the D’Angelo Russell trade. While he’s not naturally a floor general, he’s held his own and performed well. The 6-foot-5 guard is playing like an All-Star in the past ten games, averaging 22.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 8.9 assists on 40.6% shooting from deep.
His backup point guard, Vincent, has noticed how well the 26-year-old guard has played.
“Austin has been great night in and night out,” Vincent said. “It hasn’t just been his scoring, it’s been his facilitating, it’s been his leadership, his voice. Even defensively he’s been good, so Austin is taking a leap. He’s been carrying a lot of load for us.”
“I think we’ve all known Austin is a really, really good player. He’s been playing at a very high level so very grateful for him, appreciate his effort tonight and nights prior and we’ve gonna rely on him moving forward I’m sure.”
Gabe Vincent praised Austin Reaves for his recent play.https://t.co/07klQbAb7J
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) January 20, 2025
On Friday, the Lakers had a 102-101 win against the Brooklyn Nets and Reaves was a significant reason for that. He had 38 points, three rebounds and two steals in 56.5% shooting from the field.
The Lakers still need a facilitator following Russell’s trade
The Lakers are doing well despite not having a traditional floor general following their decision to trade Russell for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton. But as the season goes on, it might come back to haunt them if they don’t have a player who is committed to carrying out plays and enlisting the rest of the club. Atlanta Hawks standout Trae Young is one player associated with the Purple & Gold squad.
A trade proposal from Matt Levine of Sports Illustrated features a few players in exchange for the All-Star guard. the Lakers are unwilling to trade Reaves, Levine proposes they give up Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, Dalton Knecht and a 2029 first-round Pick.
A massive overhaul in their roster could change things for the franchise. Trading Vanderbilt and Vincent seems logical as they’ve dealt with various injuries since joining the team. However, it’s unsure if the team is willing to part ways with rookie Dalton Knecht, who’s become a significant contributor to the team.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen with Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
