[ad_1]
Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reeves has written one of the best underdog stories in recent memory. He bet on himself after he chose to go undrafted to be able to sign with Los Angeles. According to Reaves, Detroit could have drafted him as a late second round pick, but that agency and player chose to sign with the Lakers.
Two years later, Reaves went from being a two-way player to becoming an integral part of her rotation of signing a record deal. He was the first player in the playoffs and the third best player behind Anthony Davis and LeBron James in the postseason.
•
Reeves outsold his contract so much that he played himself to earn a four-year, $56 million deal as a restricted free agent this summer. He looked back on this process during an appearance on the “All the Smoke” podcast, saying:
“Everything came full circle. All I needed was an opportunity…and I knew what I was capable of doing. You know, skill set, IQ, things like that. So it was really, my agency put me in a good position.” To get all of that. We could have had a 42nd place in Detroit, but you kind of turned that down to put me in L.A. for a better place.”
Austin Reeves has been betting himself with a storied franchise as the LA Lakers is bigger than it sounds, but perfect. The Detroit Pistons were rebuilding and giving youngsters a chance, but it was a smaller market. Meanwhile, the Lakers got all the attention that summer after they added Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, and Rajon Rondo, among others, to their roster.
They needed young players to corner the veterans, so Reeves found himself in the perfect position with the Lakers. Reeves responded well to the lights that same rookie season. Meanwhile, LeBron James and Anthony Davis have also been vocal about Reeves’ talent, all of which went into securing a lucrative deal.
Click here to view Austin Reeves’ comments on the All The Smoke Podcast.
Austin Reeves is entering the third season with the Lakers as the third option
There isn’t much or no argument that Austin Reeves will be the third pick for the Los Angeles Lakers next season. It comes after the third-year guard soon imploded at the end of the season and maintained his form into the playoffs.
Reeves missed a career-high 35 points against the Orlando Magic on March 19 off the bench, helping the Lakers to the win, despite the struggles of Anthony Davis and the absence of LeBron James. That game helped him secure a starting spot.
Since then, he has averaged 19.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 6.1 assists, shooting 58/46/90 splits. His scoring rate was his third-highest after LeBron and AD during that span, while he was tied for most assists per game with first.
Austin Reeves was the best player on the Lakers, with a shooting percentage of 68.7%, also the highest mark among guards last season. Reeves continued his career into the playoffs (his first postseason appearance), averaging 16.9 points and 4.6 assists, shooting a 46/44/90 split.
He played a lot as a base ball coach and even closed several matches. These efforts cemented his place within the squad as the undisputed first-choice player and third-choice player at the moment.
[ad_2]
