Back in July, Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham delivered a hefty proclamation about Austin Reaves, shortly after the 2020 undrafted free agent signed a $56 million contract on the heels of an ascendant second NBA campaign.

“I’m putting it on record right now: Austin Reaves will be an All-Star at some point soon.”

Reaves may not achieve All-Star status … yet (fan vote notwithstanding). As an innately unselfish, malleable contributor, Reaves is committed to maximizing the Lakers' shot quality, not his own statistics. The Lakers suddenly have a surplus of offensive talent around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Throughout training camp, Reaves has reiterated the team's intent to pass up good shots for great ones (a storyline to monitor: if Reaves continues to improve, what happens when a “good” shot for him becomes more optimal than a “great” one for a teammate? How productively selfish can Reaves get?). The Western Conference, as usual, is loaded.

However, Reaves will enter Year 3 as a frontrunner for his first individual NBA accolade: Most Improved Player.

At the moment, Reaves has the sixth-best odds (+1600) to win the award, according to FanDuel, trailing Team USA teammates Mikal Bridges and Tyrese Haliburton, along with Jordan Poole, Cade Cunningham, and Anfernee Simons. In ClutchPoints' preseason media poll, the Lakers wing was easily the most common pick to win MIP.

Most Improved Player is, by nature, the trickiest end-of-season honor to predict. After all, the inherent — if nebulous and undefined — criterion for a winner is somebody who outperforms expectations, often unexpectedly (see: Lauri Markkanen). That said, there are obvious reasons why Reaves is primed to be the first Lakers player to win the award — now ironically named after George Mikan.

The Lakers' quest to the conference finals was largely engineered by Reaves' emergence as a lead playmaker, to go along with his lights-out shooting, elite foul-drawing, and cold-blooded shot-creation. From opening night to the All-Star break, Reaves averaged 10.5 points and 2.2 assists on .491/.372/.874 splits. From the break through Game 82, he put up 17.6 points and 5.5 assists on .578/.443/.856 splits while becoming a fixture in the starting lineup. Most impressively, he produced 16.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in the playoffs while chasing around Desmond Bane, Steph Curry, and Jamal Murray. LeBron routinely deferred to Reaves in critical moments.

Reaves' breakout continued into the summer. He inked a four-year deal in free agency, debuted a signature sneaker on a seven-figure deal (it sold out) and emerged as one of Team USA's most reliable — and popular — players in the FIBA World Cup. He's no longer unheralded or overlooked; he's a face of the Lakers.

In theory, the prior two paragraphs should work against his case. Reaves has basically proven himself as a borderline star and legitimate third option on a contender. (If there was an in-season MIP, he surely would have won it.) At this point, he's expected to ball out alongside LeBron and AD.

Reaves' platform will help. He'll play nearly half of his games on national TV. He has a flair for the dramatic and the viral. He's a fan favorite. With increased expectations, pressure, and Q Score, he'll be among the more closely-watched players in the league.

His rapid rise hasn't stalled his motivation.

“That hunger is for sure still there,” Reaves recently told ClutchPoints. “I think that underdog chip, for me, it'll never go away, regardless of how high it goes. I genuinely believe that — there's always people that doubt but — there's a majority of people that still doubt what I'm doing. I think a lot of people think it's maybe situations that occur and then go away.

“People have told me, a lot of people try to compare it to the Jeremy Lin situation. For me, that's the stuff that keeps me wanting to get better. And that's the reason I've gotten to where I am. I've said many times I want to be able to, when I'm done, just look back and tell everybody to f*ck off.”

Awards are largely driven by stats. Reaves finished 2022-23 with averages of 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, .529/.398/.864 splits and a 15.2 usage percentage. The Lakers reportedly plan to pick up where they left off and center more of their offense around him. For as many of his contributions are better reflected via eye test — gritty charges, prompt swing-passes, nifty positioning, etc. — he should drastically increase his numbers across the board. If Reaves can flirt with 20/5/5, All-Star consideration, and 50/40/90 shooting? And he showcases an ever-deepening bag while helping carry the Lakers to a top-four seed and 50+ wins? And shines when AD or LeBron sit out? He'll be firmly in the conversation.

Of course, Reaves and the Lakers have grander aspirations.

“I think Austin wants to be the best player possible,” his brother, Spencer, told me. “Austin loves hoops and he loves competing. I think he thinks he can shine in whatever role he is given. So if he's going to be given a bigger role, I think he truly believes he can go do whatever with that role. If that means scoring 20 a game, I think he could do it. But I don't think being an All-Star is ever going to blind Austin. He would for sure rather win a championship.”