L.A. Lakers' undrafted guard Austin Reaves had a breakout season last year after his notable performances in the absence of some of L.A.’s star players led to him being awarded a place in the starting line-up, as well as a deserved call-up to the Team USA squad for the FIBA World Cup. As a result, NBA writer Mark Medina wouldn’t be surprised if the 25-year-old was to make the NBA All-Star team for the first time in his career as early as this upcoming season.

L.A. Lakers news – Austin Reaves

The L.A. Lakers ensured that they kept a hold of their emerging star, Austin Reaves, by prioritizing his re-signing in free-agency after the instrumental part he played in helping the Purple and Gold reach the Western Conference finals as the No. 7 seed.

As reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Lakers managed to retain the undrafted guard on a four-year max deal worth $56 million, a huge pay increase from the two-way contract he started his NBA career on before joining the team on a standard minimum contract in 2021, worth a mere $2.5 million over two seasons.

However, to General Managers across the league, it would appear that the Lakers got a hugely discounted deal on a talent who, should he continue to excel, could be worth well over double his current deal, per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

Lakers GM Rob Pelinka, via Spectrum SportsNet, told of how re-signing Reaves was their highest priority, and that he was the first player they reached out to as soon as 3pm ticked past to signal the opening of free-agency.

Pelinka further went on to suggest how important it was that they gave the Arkansas native the “respect to go through the [free agency] process” but made no secret of how “extraordinarily badly” the front-office and coaching staff wanted him to stay as a Laker.

Medina previously reported exclusively to GIVEMESPORT that Reaves had received high-praise from his head-coach, Darvin Ham, who predicted the guard to one-day become an All-Star.

The journalist further went on to state that while he agreed with Ham that his play on the court is indicative of such an accolade, his only concern on why he may not achieve that feat next season lies in the fact the Western Conference is stacked with talent.

Could Austin Reaves make the NBA All-Star team next season?

Medina believes that Reaves’ all-around game is so strong that he will ultimately become an All-Star at some point during his career, if not as soon as this upcoming campaign.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said...

“I certainly believe it. Reaves has shown in the FIBA World Cup and with the Lakers that he has no fundamental weaknesses in his game.”

“Perhaps a stretch he could become an All-Star at least this season. But it also wouldn’t be surprising. He’s fully comfortable playing around star players, and filling in various needs with his scoring, passing and defense.”

How has Austin Reaves performed so far in the FIBA World Cup?

As a member of the L.A. Lakers, Reaves is expected to build upon his play last season and be a big contributor for a Purple and Gold team who have genuine championship aspirations.

If his play for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup this off-season is anything to go by, he is making a great case to his head coach, Darvin Ham, on why he should be named as a starter for the Lakers going forward into next season.

In five outings during the World Cup so far, with the USA winning four of those games, Reaves has played 19.2 minutes per game averaging 10.8 points, 3 assists, and 2.2 rebounds on 58.3% shooting from the field and 46.2% from the three point line. He has also averaged 1.8 steals per game, per FIBA.

Reaves scored a team-high 15 points in Team USA’s first-round outing against Greece in just 17 minutes of playing time, shooting 4/7 from the floor for 57.1 percent. In that game he also had five rebounds, six assists, and two steals.

According to Hoops Hype’s Raúl Barrigón, the 25-year-old joined LeBron James as the only Team USA players with at least 15/5/5 at a World Cup since 1994.

The L.A. Lakers will surely be hoping that Reaves, who has been nicknamed as the ‘Hillbilly Kobe’ continues on his upward trajectory of being an all-around contributor on the floor, as they seek to fulfill their own high expectations of being genuine championship-contenders in the Western Conference.

Austin Reaves has already become a household name among fans around the NBA, but can he help LeBron James, Anthony Davis and co. achieve their goal of bringing a what would be record-breaking 18th NBA title to Los Angeles? That remains to be seen, but the individual goal of becoming a first-time All-Star may somewhat be a little more realistic.

Nevertheless, there is a lot to be excited about and Austin Reaves mania appears to be in full effect.