Austin Reaves Vows To Fix Early-Season Turnover Issues

Nov 4, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) puts up a shot against Sacramento Kings forward Leaky Black (19) during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images Nov 4, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) puts up a shot against Sacramento Kings forward Leaky Black (19) during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

Austin Reaves Vows To Fix Early-Season Turnover Issues

Originally posted on Lakers Nation | By Corey Hansford | Last updated Nov 5, 2026 1:10 PM ET

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Coming into this season, there was a lot of pressure on Austin Reaves as he was firmly placed in the number two role alongside superstar Luka Doncic and finally received his big payday from the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason. So far, Reaves has looked good for the most part, though he has had an issue with turnovers.

Reaves is currently posting a career-high with over four turnovers per game, including five contests with at least four giveaways. That wasn’t the case in the Lakers’ victory over the Sacramento Kings, however, as Reaves did not commit a single turnover and afterwards, he vowed to fix those issues during a back and forth with Lakers reporters, via Spectrum SportsNet:

.@BA_Turner: "How many turnovers you have tonight?"

AR: "Zero."

BT: "How many you have the last game?"

AR: "A lot. I’ve had a lot all year. We’re gonna fix those for you." #LakeShow https://t.co/FcMP1HAbh9

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) November 5, 2026

For players who have the ball in their hands and are expected to create on the ball as much as Reaves, some turnovers should be expected. That is just the nature of the game and the league leaders in turnovers are always some of the best players in the league as they always have the ball. However, Reaves’ issues with taking care of the ball have been far worse than the norm and he understands that.

Reaves had back-to-back eight turnover games, and in the Lakers’ previous contest against the Miami Heat, he coughed it up five times. The Lakers’ defense is already a question mark as it is, but allowing teams to get out in transition and get easy buckets is a recipe for failure and is something that the Lakers, and Reaves in particular, must get under control.

The victory against the Kings was a step in the right direction as the Lakers had just 12 as a team with half of them coming from Doncic and no one else committing more than two. Perhaps that little bit of heckling from the local reporters can help motivate Reaves to keep those miscues in check and if that’s the case, it’ll all be worth it.

JJ Redick happy with Lakers’ defensive progress

The Lakers also put forth one of their better defensive performances of the season against the Kings, holding them to just 103 points on 38.9% shooting and forcing 18 turnovers. And afterwards, head coach JJ Redick spoke about being pleased with the effort and progression the Lakers have made on that side of the floor.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Lakers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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