Over the last two seasons, Austin Reaves has gone from an undrafted rookie who was originally signed to a two-way contract to a vital role player for the Los Angeles Lakers.
It’s a similar path to the one Alex Caruso followed a few years ago on his way to becoming a key part of the Lakers’ 2020 championship team.
Comparisons between the two have been unavoidable. Both are 6-foot-5 guards who have occasionally started but mostly come off the bench. Both have been popular with Lakers fans, even to the point of getting MVP chants.
The two players have also been compared because, yes, they happen to be white in a predominantly Black league.
But a closer look at their games reveals they’re significantly different basketball players.
That seemed to be the point Reaves made when asked about such comparisons while on the “Point Forward” podcast with Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner.
“Do you ever feel any pressure when you show up as Austin Reaves, but this was a Caruso city?” Reaves was asked.
“No, not at all… I got the question the other day because we get compared a lot, and I said that ‘we’re white, and we play for the Lakers.’ And that’s really about it. But that’s nothing against him. He’s figured out how to be a really, really good on-ball defender and like I said earlier about Bron, he’s an IQ player that fit really good with Bron.”
Once one looks past Caruso’s outsized popularity during his tenure with L.A., one can see how different he is from Reaves, as well as his limitations. While Caruso, who is now a Chicago Bull and faced Reaves’ Lakers on Sunday, is considered an excellent one-on-one defender, he’s very limited offensively.
He lacks the ability to break defenders off the dribble, set up teammates or consistently hit open 3-pointers.
Reaves may not be as good a defender as Caruso, although he’s not exactly a bad one. But it’s the former’s versatility and skill sets on offense that have made him indispensable to L.A.’s success, as he can advance the ball down the court, facilitate for teammates, create a bit for himself, draw fouls and hit 3-pointers at a high rate.
Caruso's comments on the comparisons to Reaves
With Caruso playing 26 minutes on Sunday, the Bulls defeated the Lakers, 118-108, despite the unexpected return of LeBron James.
He seems to agree that the comparisons between him and Reaves are a bit unwarranted, but he also doesn’t seem to mind them much.
Via Chicago Sun-Times:
“He’s a guy who’s basically been in the NBA his whole career,” Caruso, 29, said of the 24-year-old Reaves. “I was a guy who wasn’t drafted, went to the G League for a year, played in three Summer Leagues to try and get on a team, and still, even then, (was) grinding my way to get minutes and carving a role out.
“He’s a really good player, too. It’s the world we live in. We live in a world of comparisons, and that’s what it is. Plus, it’s a part of playing in L.A. I’m sure he’s in the same boat I am. He’s probably like, ‘I’m just trying to hoop and have a good career,’ and he’s getting questions like that. It’s part of the league. Something dumb like that pops up, and you just move on.”
While Caruso had seven points and five rebounds on Sunday, Reaves had 13 points, seven assists and five turnovers.
The two will face off again on Wednesday when the Lakers travel to Chicago for a rematch with the Bulls.
