JJ Redick Says Lakers’ Austin Reaves is Crucial on the Offense: What Makes the 6ft 5″ Guard So Important to the Team?

Almost four years after joining the Los Angeles Lakers as an undrafted player, Austin Reaves has solidified his place with the Purple and Gold. He’s their third option on offense at the moment because his three-point shooting and speed inside the paint have dug the Lakers out of tough situations in the past.

Reaves missed out on the Lakers’ win over the Utah Jazz yesterday, which was the first time he didn’t suit up in 101 games. His streak came to an end after he suffered a rather nasty fall against the Oklahoma City Thunder. In the post-game presser after the narrow win against Utah, head coach JJ Redick rued the absence of his starting shooting guard.

Redick insinuated that he was disappointed with his team’s half-court offense, and credited Reaves as someone who excels in those scenarios. With his pace, movement, and on-ball gravity, AR15 lends a different dimension to the Lakers attack, a certain guile and finesse that sets him apart from the brute force 1-2 punch of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Redick pointed it out as well, claiming that the Lakers’ 2nd half offense was entirely dependent on the pick-and-roll opportunities that James could provide.

“It was a game where we didn’t have a lot going offensively with pace and movement, I think in the half court AR is one of our best pace and movement guys, so not having him hurt a little bit, we really slowed things down in the 2nd half.”

Reaves is averaging nearly 17 points this season, which is a career-high for him. But what truly solidifies him as the third option is his confidence in his ability to handle the ball. It certainly helps when one of the greatest players of all time has faith in you, but Reaves has taken James’ trust and returned dividends.

His off-ball movement, combined with his ability to draw double teams and still find the open man, has made him almost invaluable to the LA side. He’s a good shooter too, probably the second-best on the Lakers after rookie Dalton Knecht. His 44% from the field and 35.5% from deep make him a reliable option when both Davis and James are going through cold stretches in the game.

Additionally, these same skills make him the perfect person to deputize for James when he is on the bench. He can bring the ball up the court, make reads and call plays, and get to his spot to get his shot off. Reaves’ offensive talent is essential to the Lakers, and there’s a reason why Redick was so excited to work with him when he was hired.

Redick’s appointment was also met with positive responses from the players, with Reaves crediting his coach’s mentality and understanding of the game.

JJ Redick has won over Reaves and the Lakers’ locker room

After a couple of disappointing seasons under Darvin Ham, the Lakers finally threw caution to the wind and brought in Redick for his first-ever professional coaching job. The appointment was met with confused looks worldwide, but the Lakers squad raved about the former Clippers guard after his appointment.

Austin Reaves, in particular, lauded his coach for his coaching methods. Redick was in the NBA till 2021, and it’s clear to see that he has a knack for understanding the requirements of a team playing the modern NBA.

Reaves was a huge fan of his communication, claiming that JJ knows exactly how to get the players to learn, understand, and buy in to what he wants from them.

“He’s been amazing. Communication has been really good. He’s been very to the point on what he expects. That’s what we need, so it’s been wonderful.”

Despite a string of losses over their last few games, the Lakers sit 6th in the West and have the opportunity to break into the top 5 if they can defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight. Redick, who coached his first competitive game against the Wolves, saw his team come away 110-103 winners and will be hoping they can do the same again.