The Los Angeles Lakers entered the final possession of Wednesday's game against the Dallas Mavericks with extremely dead legs and heavy hearts after a couple of dagger three-pointers by Dallas had it looking like the Mavericks could not be stopped no matter what LA tried. With the game tied at 104 and with the shot clock off, the Lakers knew one thing for sure…they were going to get the last shot.
The Mavericks tried to force the issue by leaving Russell Westbrook open for a three with eight seconds left, but Westbrook had other plans. He collapsed the defense to get rookie Austin Reaves a chance to win the game. With all of the attention placed on Westbrook's drive to the paint, it allowed Reaves to step into a wide-open three-pointer. Just as he had done in his first four attempts of the game, Reaves stepped up and nailed it, giving the Lakers a 107-104 road victory.
AUSTIN REAVES HITS THE GAME-WINNER FOR THE LAKERS AGAINST THE MAVS pic.twitter.com/DgeHccQBQ6
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 16, 2021
This game marks the first big publicity that Reaves has received as a pro, and that has kind of been the way his career has gone even before the NBA. He has always flown under the radar as a quiet, lanky kid from Arkansas. Reaves' parents, Nicole Wilkett and Brian Reaves, both played college basketball for Arkansas State and his brother, Spencer, played college basketball for Central Missouri and North Greenville, so basketball is certainly in his blood.
Despite an acclaimed high-school career in which he won multiple state titles and even scored 73 points in a game, Reaves was lightly recruited. That is if you consider Wichita State to be a “lower” program, as Greg Marshall and the Shockers recruited Reaves to play for their team during the height of their success.
He missed his freshman year due to injury, however, and that put him behind a couple of other sophomores for playing time. Still, Reaves prevailed through his Sophomore year and then transferred to the University of Oklahoma to get more playing time. He had to sit out one year due to transfer regulations but when he was eligible, he started to show what he could do.
In two years for the Sooners, Reaves was a solid contributor but had one big problem… his three-point shooting. At Oklahoma, Reaves made just 27 percent of his three's and that is the main reason that he went undrafted. Still, Reaves showed he is a very capable shooter by shooting 42 percent from the field and 85 percent from the free-throw line so the Lakers took a chance on him. Shots like this didn't hurt his chances either…
Austin Reaves (28 PTS) came up clutch vs. West Virginia 🔥
No. 12 Oklahoma beats No. 14 WVU in double OT pic.twitter.com/balhCAAAyO
— Bleacher Report CBB (@br_CBB) February 13, 2021
He joined the Lakers summer league and once again struggled to shoot the ball. He only made 25 percent of his three's all summer but he did lead the team in rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks per game. That showed a lot of effort, toughness, and determination to the Lakers who then decided to give him some extra minutes during the pre-season. They knew they had someone with heart, but could they trust him on the floor to not make bad decisions? He was an undrafted rookie, after all.
Well, the preseason came and went and while it might have been boring for most Lakers fans to not see most of their stars for the majority of the games, the team got a good hard look at Reaves. This is where Austin finally earned the trust of the coaching staff, and also found his shooting stroke as he had a 35 percent three-point percentage during the exhibition season.
The rookie was thrown right into the fire on opening night against the Phoenix Suns and held his own fairly well with eight points and two three-pointers on three attempts. His smaller frame and lack of experience defensively kept him off of the floor for crucial situations for the first few games but within a couple of weeks, he had become a part of some of the Lakers “close-out” lineups.
All of that progress was stalled for three weeks in November due to a hamstring injury. The team struggled with Reaves off the court and achieved just a 4-6 record. With Reaves on the court, this season the Lakers are 12-7. The difference in records cannot be disputed…this kid is now an integral part of this team and will continue to be so as long as he is hitting shots and providing energy and defense to a team that always seems to lack it.
Over the past three games, all Lakers wins, Reaves is averaging 29 minutes, 11 points, and five rebounds a game with only two total turnovers. He has also hit seven of his eleven threes and all six of his free throws. It is these kinds of numbers, especially the low turnovers, that will keep Reaves in the rotation. If he can continue to improve on his defense, he will also continue to be in “close-out” lineups, something no one expected when he was passed up 60 times in this year's draft.
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