Who is Austin Reaves? Lakers replace Alex Caruso with spark plug rookie off the bench

You’re sitting on the couch watching one of the Lakers’ 42 highest national televised games when, at the end of the fourth quarter, you suddenly start to wonder, “who is number 15 and why does he sound so familiar?” so?”

On Wednesday, December 15, the 6-foot-5 keeper continued to make a name for himself as he helped the Lakers out of Dallas with a win in extra time.

For the uninitiated, former Lakers guard Alex Caruso was previously remembered for receiving an “honorable pass-through” on the team as a scrawny player that his teammates he loves. Now, another Los Angeles player holds that honor.

Austin Reaves, who was signed by the Lakers after not being selected in the 2021 NBA Draft, had a similar role to Caruso in the early stages of the 2021-22 season.

That 3-dagger was the fifth player of the game in just six tries as he scored all of his 15 points from outside the arc in the Lakers’ final 107-104-second win over the Mavericks.

Having played 17 of the team’s 29 games, he averaged 5.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 19.7 minutes per game, and Los Angeles coach Frank Vogel has calls his impact “excellent” on both sides of the ball.

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“Teams think they can target him, but he really moves his feet well, puts his body in front of the ball and plays with flexibility and flexibility in loose ball situations,” said Vogel. told Silver Screen and Roll. “He only plays a minor brand (basketball), and offensively, the poise he plays offensively is very surprising for a rookie.”

As of November 8, Reaves’ Net rating is the best of any Laker with a 9.8 . plus. Meanwhile, his pairing with superstar striker LeBron James is a staggering 14.7.

Reaves’ impact could continue to play a role in the Lakers’ quest for their second NBA title in three seasons. Who exactly is Reaves and what is his background as a player?

Who is Austin Reaves?

After a four-year college career that included exams at Wichita State and Oklahoma, Reaves was not selected in the 2021 NBA Draft, eventually signing a two-way contract with the Lakers on August 3, 2021.

Reaves then excelled in the Lakers’ summer tournament in Las Vegas, averaging second most (11.4), and most bounces (6.2), assists (3.2) and steal (3,2) for the team for 22.2 minutes per game. He earned a standard contract with the Lakers on September 27 and made his NBA debut on October 22, scoring eight points in the 3/4 shootout.

“He’s done enough to earn my trust,” Vogel said during the Lakers’ last season. “I could say as much. I feel good about everything he does there. He is really competitive and knows where to defend. ”

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After spending his first two seasons with the Shockers, Reaves moved to Oklahoma for his final two seasons in college, 2019-20 and 2020-21 respectively. In his first season, he was named to the all-new Big 12 team after averaging 14.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game for a team that went to December 19.

Last season, Reaves led the Sooners to the NCAA Tournament, averaging a team-best 18.3, 5.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. He was named to the All-Big-12 first team at the end of last season when the Sooners lost to top seed Gonzaga in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

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Reaves had previously failed to rank when he left Cedar Ridge High School in Newark, Arkansas, where he led the Timberwolves to three state titles. As a senior, he averaged 32.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game and was named the 3A state league MVP after averaging 43.3 points. over four games.

Reaves’ parents, Nicole and Brian, both played basketball for Arkansas State, while his brother, Spencer, played college basketball for North Greenville and Central Missouri. His mother averaged 21.3 points per game and won the all-team title as a senior, while his father finished third in show history with 384 career assists.