Austin Reaves has emerged as a near-All-Star talent for the Los Angeles Lakers, but his defensive shortcomings remain glaring. Lacking NBA-level foot speed and athleticism, he consistently rates as a below-average defender, especially against certain matchups.
In Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday, the Lakers’ guard was repeatedly targeted on defense. The defending champions made him look nearly stationary, often resembling the Statue of Liberty, as they cruised to a 131-108 victory that pushed Los Angeles to the brink of elimination.
How poor was Reaves on that end? Law Murray of The Athletic highlighted an eye-opening stat on X (formerly Twitter): “NBA Advanced Stats credits the Thunder for scoring on 17 of 22 field goal attempts in Game 3 on shots defended by Austin Reaves.”
As the old saying goes, time either promotes or exposes people. Right now, Reaves’ weaknesses are being laid bare—a trend opponents have exploited for the past two or three seasons. Increasingly, Lakers fans are calling for the team to trade him this offseason (he’s expected to opt out of his contract and become a free agent) in exchange for more balanced, two-way contributors.
The Arkansas native will have at least one more chance to silence his critics when the Lakers try to stave off elimination in Game 4 against the Thunder on Monday.