{"id":70631,"date":"2024-03-26T07:59:24","date_gmt":"2024-03-26T11:59:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=70631"},"modified":"2024-03-26T07:59:24","modified_gmt":"2024-03-26T11:59:24","slug":"two-time-champion-has-high-praise-for-austin-reaves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/03\/26\/two-time-champion-has-high-praise-for-austin-reaves\/","title":{"rendered":"Two-Time Champion Has High Praise for Austin Reaves"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lakers guard <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/r\/reaveau01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Austin Reaves<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has been backed by diehard supporters over the last three seasons, raising his level of play over the years and meeting some expectations that come with it. Former Laker and two-time champion <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/thompmy01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mychal Thompson<\/a> recently went on SiriusXM radio and made a bold claim about the fan favorite.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Two-Time Champion Has High Praise for Austin Reaves<\/b><\/h2>\n<h3><b>Mychal Thompson\u2019s Claim<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In an appearance on SiriusXM\u2019s NBA Radio, Thompson said that Reaves is a \u201cborderline All-Star\u201d:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/C488cLOOZeS\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n<div style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\"><a style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/C488cLOOZeS\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">A post shared by LakersNation.com (@lakersnationofficial)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thompson <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SiriusXMNBA\/status\/1771995903802393016\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">added<\/span><\/a>\u00a0an important caveat<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt\u2019s going to be tough for him to make the All-Star team in the West, \u2018cause you have so many good guards in the West who are so young and upcoming just like him. But, he\u2019s close to being an All-Star-caliber player, \u2018cause some nights he is.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fans clearly recognize Austin Reaves\u2019 talent\u2014enough to put him into the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/lakers\/news\/third-fan-returns-for-nba-all-star-2023-voting\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">top-ten of fan voting for All-Star games<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. His breakout campaign last year\u201413 points and 3.4 assists per game on .529\/.398\/.864 splits\u2014was enough to put him seventh in Sixth Man of the Year voting and 10th in the Most Improved Player race. This season, Reaves has continued to grow in several roles, either as a starter or sixth man. Through 71 games (46 starts), the 25-year-old has averaged nearly 16 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists on .491\/.378\/.861 splits. In this year\u2019s All-Star fan votes, he finished <a href=\"https:\/\/ak-static.cms.nba.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2024\/01\/2024-Western-Conference-Guard-Starters-01262024.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">10th among Western Conference guards (468,845)<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Is Austin Reaves a \u201cBorderline All-Star?\u201d<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the way Austin Reaves has played so far in his career, Thompson\u2019s \u201cborderline All-Star\u201d claim may seem valid at first glance. He has stepped up in big moments without <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jamesle01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">LeBron James<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/davisan02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anthony Davis<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and was one of the best Lakers during their run to the 2023 Western Conference Finals. However, as Thompson mentioned, there are plenty of other guards in the West who warrant consideration over him, from the clear stars to the up-and-comers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But aside from the competition, Reaves must address other issues in his game before meeting such high expectations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There have been legitimate concerns over Reaves\u2019s defense. He is often exposed in defensive schemes, struggles to guard quicker players, and is purposefully hunted in matchups. Not to mention, Reaves has logged an unfortunate career-high in personal fouls, with an average of 1.8 per game. While Reaves is an offensive talent, he must improve his defense in the coming months.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And though Reaves certainly has the tools to be an All-Star-caliber player, his scoring output does not yet put him in the same category as some of his peers. Fans expect All-Stars to have high, consistent scoring nights, and Reaves has not done that just yet. He can either go for an efficient 20 or 30-piece, or he can score seven or eight points on horrid shooting splits. That variability is understandable when you\u2019re playing next to LeBron and AD. However, even as a third or fourth option, Reaves will need to become more consistent before the potential &#8220;All-Star&#8221; talks hold weight. Still, there\u2019s no denying Reaves has a high ceiling, and he will continue to be a key part of LA&#8217;s success.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>The Last Word<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While Reaves deserves Thompson\u2019s high remarks, he is not currently a \u201cborderline All-Star,\u201d especially considering the high talent level in the West, particularly at his position. But with more development on crucial skills, Reaves could very well to an All-Star level sooner than later.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lakers guard Austin Reaves has been backed by diehard supporters over the last three seasons, raising his level of play over the years and meeting some expectations that come with it. Former Laker and two-time champion Mychal Thompson recently went on SiriusXM radio and made a bold claim about the fan favorite. Two-Time Champion Has [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4265,"featured_media":70657,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,26,62],"tags":[240,4556,38],"class_list":["post-70631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-lakers","category-nba","tag-anthony-davis","tag-austin-reaves","tag-lebron-james"],"modified_by":"Jordan Pagkalinawan","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70631","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4265"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70631"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70631\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70657"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70631"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}