With training camp right around the corner, now is the perfect time to start looking at potential goals for each member of the Los Angeles Lakers roster. To begin this series, we will start by looking at Austin Reaves and ways in which he can improve his game throughout the upcoming season.
Reaves hasn’t had much chance to rest after spending the summer with Team USA at the FIBA World Cup. However, working with elite coaches such as Steve Kerr and Erik Spoelstra will undoubtedly give Reaves new perspectives on improving his performance and skillset.
Buy Lakers TicketsFurthermore, Reaves likely discovered some holes in his game during his time with Team USA and will likely look to fix them throughout the upcoming year.
Here are three goals for Reaves to strive for in the upcoming season.
Improve on defense
According to Dunks And Threes, Austin Reaves is a slight negative on the defensive end, with a -0.1 estimated plus-minus over his first two seasons in the NBA. Reaves also displayed defensive limitations during Team USA’s ill-fated FIBA World Cup run this summer. A tough part of being a guard in the NBA is being forced to guard up on switches.
Reaves spent 41% of his minutes defending opposing shooting guards last season and a further 14.6% being placed onto small forwards. When tasked with guarding bigger, stronger players, understanding how to cut off angles is imperative, especially when you’re looking to stifle the offense and force a half-court possession deep into the shot clock.
Reaves will continue to add strength as his body matures. However, adding some intricacies to his defensive IQ and learning how to use his body to take away angles for drives, passes and step-backs will ensure he takes his game to a new level.
Improve his playmaking
Given the Lakers roster construction, there’s a legitimate chance Reaves will spend additional time at the point guard position in the upcoming season. Throughout his two years with the Lakers, Reaves has only spent 2% of his total minutes at the point guard spot, so there will be undoubtedly be an adjustment period.
Last season, Reaves assisted on 15.6% of his teammate’s buckets while on the court, ranking him in the eighth percentile among wing players in the league. Yet, with the increased ball-handling duties came an increased volume of turnovers, with the sophomore guard turning the rock over 13.6% of the time he had possession.
Reaves will need to work on his processing speed, passing ability and ball-handling if he sees an increased workload at the one. Otherwise, head coach Darvin Ham should continue to utilize the fan-favorite at the 2 and 3, where he’s proven to be successful.
Embrace a bigger role
Reaves projects to have a significant role within the Lakers rotation in the upcoming season. The undrafted wing has already proven himself as a valuable NBA contributor and has established himself as an important part of the roster. Now comes the hard part.
Opposing teams will ensure Reaves is featured on their scouting reports. There will be new types of coverages for the third-year wing to figure out as coaches look to limit his impact, and there will be no easy opportunities available to him.
Reaves will need to embrace this new role. He’s earned it. And as teams begin to show him more respect, Reaves’ game will likely begin to evolve and flourish — if he continues to put in the work behind the scenes.
