One of the few bright spots this past season for the Los Angeles Lakers was undrafted rookie guard Austin Reaves.
He quickly earned a spot in then-head coach Frank Vogel’s rotation, and he showed the ability to be a multi-faceted role player.
While Reaves shot well from 3-point range over the first half of the season, his accuracy plunged starting in January, and it may have had something to do with the fact that he needed to add some upper-body and core muscle to his frame.
It looks like he has already done just that this offseason.
Via The Athletic:
“Reaves has vowed not to give his next coach any reason to doubt his ability to handle the physical grind of an 82-plus-game season,” wrote Jovan Buha. “Last season, teams would target Reaves defensively, attempting to exploit his thin frame. He held his own in many matchups – his on-ball defense was among his best skills as a rookie – but he was exposed at times, against more athletic wings.
“Reaves doesn’t have a specific weight goal to hit, but he’s bulked up from his preseason listed weight of 197 lbs. to 209 lbs. now.
“‘It’s my big focus,’ Reaves said. ‘I go in there with a good attitude every day, and whatever they tell me to do, I do. Just putting my body in the best position so the rookie wall or whatever, it doesn’t hit you like that. And you can more push through it because you’re in better shape and better conditioning.’
“Reaves hopes to use those extra pounds to improve at defending wings and absorbing contact on the offensive end. He’s eating healthier, seeking out a dietician and chef. He’s also become more flexible, recently taking up yoga.”
The Lakers badly need better 3-point shooting, as well as defense, especially from the wing spot, and a stronger and more mature Reaves can help in those two areas.
His ability to be a serviceable secondary ball-handler can also take a bit of the load off an aging LeBron James to always be the man to advance the ball and attack in transition.
