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Austin Reaves confirmed flashes of brilliance in the course of the 2024–25 common season, however when the lights acquired brighter within the postseason, his impression dipped. His numbers fell to 16.2 factors per recreation on 41.1 % taking pictures from the sphere and 31.9 % from past the arc, with simply 3.6 assists per night time, a noticeable drop from his regular-season manufacturing.
The Lakers’ first-round exit by the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves uncovered a few of these flaws. Minnesota threw wave after wave of robust defenders at Reaves, and the 26-year-old struggled to regulate. Former NBA ahead and present analyst Richard Jefferson believes that should change if Los Angeles desires to make a deeper run subsequent yr.
“So for the Lakers, if the Lakers are wholesome, then it’s Deandre Ayton and Reaves should play nicely,” Jefferson stated on The Sports activities Reporters. “And don’t neglect Reaves is an excellent participant — borderline All-Star. However as soon as he acquired in opposition to these canine defenders that you simply’re going to see each spherical of the postseason — you’re going to see canine defenders — now rapidly, Austin Reaves appeared like he regressed again to a 15-, 16-point a recreation kind of participant, which is a praise.
“So, can he make that leap the place he’s a 20-point-a-game scorer versus all the canine? That’s whenever you turn out to be a special man. And that’s what they want from him and that’s what they want from Ayton,” he added.
The Lakers are banking on Reaves’ continued development heading into the 2025–26 season. He’s improved his scoring and playmaking yearly of his younger profession, however as Jefferson identified, the subsequent step comes within the postseason.
If Los Angeles desires to compete for a title, Reaves might want to show he can rise above these “canine defenders”, the sort that separate regular-season gamers from playoff stars.
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