What Austin Reaves has been able to do begin the 2025-26 NBA season has been remarkable. He has assumed first option responsibilities due to the absence of Luka Doncic and LeBron James. And not only has he shone, but he has exceeded all expectations. As a result, NBA analyst Skip Bayless can’t help but sing his praises for anyone who would hear.
Advertisement
Reaves has looked like a superstar through the Lakers’ first five games. He currently averages 34.2 points, 10.0 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game. In the Lakers’ most recent game, he put up 28 points and 16 assists, while hitting a game-winning buzzer beater against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Needless to say, it seems that Reaves can do no wrong. The former Oklahoma Sooner has solidified himself as one of the league’s best guards. However, Skip Bayless believes that isn’t enough praise for the 6-foot-5 guard.
“Austin Reaves has become the greatest undrafted NBA player ever,” Skip Bayless proclaimed on The Skip Bayless Show. “The truth is, it ain’t even close anymore.”
Those aren’t any shallow words. That’s quite the bold claim for Bayless to make. There have been some tremendous players to grace an NBA court who didn’t hear their name called at the NBA Draft. However, Bayless cites one deciding factor, which gives Reaves the edge in his books.
“Austin Reaves is in another league from all these great undrafted NBA stars. They all became, in their own right, stars doing specialty stuff. Austin Reaves is just a two-guard scorer. You can’t just find it,” Bayless said.
Before anyone jumps to conclusions, it’s important to highlight some of the undrafted stars in contention for this title.
Among the active players, many consider Fred VanVleet the best of that crop. He has an All-Star appearance and an NBA championship under his belt. Although Reaves doesn’t have those accomplishments, Bayless doesn’t believe those are indicative of the player that he is.
However, when speaking about undrafted players, it’s impossible to forget Ben Wallace. The stellar defensive big man earned a spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame for his outstanding NBA career. Reaves has a long way to go before he can even sniff the Hall of Fame.
Does Reaves have the potential to be the best undrafted player in NBA history? Most definitely. But it is a bit premature to crown him the best already. Bayless probably knows it too, especially since he has put Reaves in competition with Hall of Famers.
