Can Austin Reaves Maintain His All-Star Numbers?

The Newark, Arkansas native is reaching new highs in the NBA that no one would’ve thought remotely possible four years ago. On Oct. 26, Reaves dropped a career high 51 points against the Sacramento Kings while pouring on 11 rebounds and nine assists.

But while Reaves has been a fun story this year, now is the time for him to prove that his leap isn’t a fluke. Reaves had that 51-point game and got his hot start to the season while Lakers guard Luka Dončić and forward LeBron James were out due to injury.

Now that both Dončić and James are back, the Lakers are at full strength. So will Reaves sink back down to the second option, or will the budding star become a 1B next to one of the best first options in the league?

Austin Reaves’ Game

Reaves has found ways to impact the game beyond his scoring in order to fit properly on a Lakers roster that now revolves around the ball-heavy Dončić.

As previously mentioned, the shooting guard has improved in every phase of the game each season, and that includes his playmaking ability. The 6.7 assists Reaves is currently averaging would be his career high by a long shot, and would help to put the once undrafted prospect into a category of one of the best playmaking shooting guards in the league.

The three-point shooting that Reaves has displayed throughout his career has made him a perfect fit besides Dončić, as the point guard has found it quite easy to find an open Reaves beyond-the-arc when the opposing defense crashes on Dončić.

But the aspect of his game that has garnered the most attention is his scoring. The shooting has been phenomenal, but what has allowed Reaves to be an efficient scorer at the rim is his mastery of the slow step.

Often when Reaves drives to the hoop, he’ll somehow find the ability to slow down to a complete stop before his last step and get the defense to react, allowing for an easy layup at the rim.

It’s just one of the many moves Reaves has picked up over the years that have allowed him to find open lanes toward the rim. His volume at the rim helps the guard to diversify his game and get just open enough on his midrange and three-point attempts to let it rain on opposing defenses.

LeBron and Luka

Once James and Dončić got back to full strength, the NBA world was curious how the final piece of the big three in Reaves was going to fit into the equation.

The gravity that Dončić commands on the offensive side of the ball is already well documented, and for the majority of his career, James has played on ball as well.

But although it’s still early into the NBA season, it seems one of the greatest basketball players of all time is showing just how great his IQ really is and letting the two young guards handle on ball duties.

Through four games, James is averaging just a little over 13 field goal attempts per game, a noticeable decline from last season’s 18 attempts per game. It’s early, but it seems like the 41-year-old is finally allowing himself to take the backseat and conserve himself for the postseason.

Reaves has also already shown that he can thrive alongside the ball-dominant Dončić. On Nov. 28, in a 129-119 win over the Dallas Mavericks, Dončić and Reaves poured on 35 and 38 points, respectively.

While many expected Reaves’ unworldly numbers to take a drop once Los Angeles got healthy, it seems that if things continue the way that they are, Reaves might be looking at not just his first All-Star appearance but potentially more.