An NBA insider has shed light on how incoming Lakers coach JJ Redick feels about shooting guard Austin Reaves heading into the 2024-25 season.
Reaves could have become a trade piece for LA in recent seasons, but the team have held onto him since he’s become the team’s best offensive option behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
And it seems first-year coach JJ Redick has big plans for the 26-year-old, Brian Windhorst reported on The Hoop Collective with his ESPN colleagues with colleagues Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon.
“I just know that JJ really believes in Austin Reaves,” Windhorst said. “And I think he’s gonna try to put him in position to be successful.
“Not only that, when there were discussions with the Lakers this summer and teams had discussions with them and Austin Reaves came up it was a hard ‘no.’”
When Reaves re-signed with the team last season, owner Jeanie Buss gushed about how he is one of her “favorite people” and his a highly-valued member of the squad.
The only exception to the team trading Reaves would be if the Lakers had the chance to sign a big-name player, Trevor Lane of Lakers Nation recently pointed out.
“Obviously, if there was a superstar or something like that, that was coming back to the Lakers, that would probably change their mind, or even an All-Star tier player might change their mind,” Lane said. “But in any other normal conversation, they’re not gonna be willing to give up Austin,” he added.
The guard averaged a season-high of 15.9 points, to go with 5.5 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game last season, while shooting 48.6 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from deep
Reaves’ ability to kick-start his own offense, as well as facilitate, is definitely what the Lakers need more of right now.
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