Report: Austin Reaves expected to be see uptick in usage this season under JJ Redick
Austin Reaves played the second-most minutes for the Lakers and if head coach JJ Redick has his way, that number will only go up this season.
Austin Reaves has been improving season after season with the Lakers. Last year, he played all 82 games and averaged 15.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists, all career-high numbers for the guard.
With JJ Redick as the new coach, fans might wonder what that will mean for Reaves as he enters his fourth season.
According to Dan Woike of the LA Times, Reaves is due for even more usage and opportunities heading into the new season.
“Some of the indication coming out of the Lakers’ facility this summer is that Reaves is in line for a big opportunity this season, with another uptick in usage headed his way.”
Logging in 2,629 minutes last year, only Anthony Davis spent more time on the court for the Lakers than Reaves.
That might make you think Reaves has little room to increase his usage, but when there’s a will, there’s a way.
The first thing Redick can do is cement Reaves as a starter on this team and not demote him to the bench the moment he underperforms.
Darvin Ham took Reaves out of the starting lineup last year due to his early-season struggles and ended up starting in just 57 games.
Coach Redick can also slightly increase Reaves' playing time. While he averaged 32.1 minutes, that was only the fourth-highest on the team. Another mini-shift could be added to place him around 35 per game.
This would likely make Reaves the player with the highest usage on the Lakers, which seems appropriate given his quality and having a fresher set of legs compared to the team’s other high-usage players, D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Davis and 39-year-old LeBron James.
While Reaves is no longer considered a young player in this league, he still has room to grow.
Redick has stressed player development and has a staff filled with decades of NBA coaching experience, even if this is his first time ever running a professional basketball team.
So, while the development questions largely surround players Bronny James and Jalen Hood-Schifino, Reaves is someone who still hasn’t reached their peak and that pinnacle is unknown.
With Redick seemingly giving Reaves the opportunity to reach it, this season can be an exciting one where fans will watch him reach new heights.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.