LA Lakers head coach JJ Redick thinks highly of guard Austin Reaves. So much so that Redick decided to bring up the name of a former player to make a comparison between him and Reaves, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

Redick linked Reaves and Jamal Crawford, which Reaves took as a compliment.

“I haven't heard that one, but I like JJ a little more now” Reaves said.

In terms of a comparison, both Reaves and Crawford have similarities that Redick himself noticed. Both have a way of being creative when being faced with a swarm of defenders and getting a shot off. Plus, both have the ability to get the free throw line with tremendous frequency.

Furthermore, both guys have great ballhandling skills and can facilitate the offense fluidly. For Crawford, he was a three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year and is now an NBA analyst for NBC Sports.

Crawford played for twenty years in the NBA from 2000-2020. Altogether, he played for nine different teams.

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As for Reaves, he is beginning his 5th season with the Lakers. Last year, he averaged 20.2 points, 5.8 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game as the Lakers went to the Western Conference Semifinals. Ultimately, they lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games.

Austin Reaves has the makings for a Sixth Man Player of the Year

In all, Reaves has the potential to follow in Crawford's footsteps. His contributions coming off the bench put him in great position to win the coveted Sixth Man of the Year award one of these days.

Altogether, he has averaged 10.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.9 assists coming off the bench throughout his career. During the 2023-2024 season, Reaves achieved his highest bench total of 15.4 points, 5.3 assists, and 4.4 rebounds.

His overall efficiency coming off the bench does great wonders for him and for the Lakers as a whole.