Lakers 3 goals: Austin Reaves still has room for improvement

Training camp for the 2025-26 NBA season is approaching, and while the Los Angeles Lakers may not have a legitimate championship-caliber roster, they do appear to have one that can do some real damage.

They have a number of players who seem to have upward potential, and if those players improve and fulfill their potential this season, perhaps the team can pleasantly surprise quite a few national pundits.

LeBron Wire is taking a look at the 14 players who are under standard contracts with the Lakers and giving three goals for each player. We now turn to Austin Reaves, who is facing a critical season as far as what the rest of his career may look like.

Improve man-to-man defense

The main weakness Reaves has is his one-on-one defense. He has trouble guarding bigger wings when he has to switch onto them, and he also has his troubles dealing with quick guards.

This seems to be the main reason some are suggesting the Lakers should trade Reaves if they are to win the NBA championship anytime soon. By pro basketball standards, he’s slow and unathletic, and while it prevents him from being able to create pace offensively, it hurts him even more on the defensive end.

He doesn’t necessarily have to become a plus defender, but if he merely becomes a neutral defender, the team would likely be happy with that development.

Improve shooting efficiency

Reaves was an undrafted rookie during the 2021-22 season, and the following season, he broke out as a truly viable player. That year, he averaged 13 points a game while shooting 52.9% from the field and 39.8% from 3-point range.

His shooting efficiency has fallen since, and while he’s not exactly inefficient, he does tend to have stretches where he shoots too low a percentage. This past season, he was at 46% overall and 37.7% from 3-point land.

On the other hand, those shooting percentages rose after Luka Doncic’s arrival in February. Reaves will be playing off the ball a lot more than ever, and he has reportedly worked on shooting and attacking off the pass this summer. Mastering that aspect of his game could propel him close to 50/40/90 territory once again.

Secure long-term future with Lakers

This one is a bit beyond his control, and obviously, he needs to keep the main thing the main thing throughout the season. But unless the Lakers trade Reaves, they will need to get him signed to some sort of contract extension within the next 10 months or so.

He’s expected to receive at least $30 million a year on his next contract, and the exact amount will partly depend on how well he plays this season.

Ideally, Reaves and L.A. will come to terms on an extension sometime during the season in order to give both sides some peace of mind as they go after the NBA championship.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers 3 goals: Austin Reaves still has room for improvement

Lakers 3 goals: Austin Reaves still has room for improvement

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