The Lakers lost to the Suns in their first preseason game, but Austin Reaves was sensational and that matters more.
Palm Desert, CA – The preseason opener was a bit of a dud for Los Angeles. They lost 103-81 against the Suns and the result was never in doubt.
In defense of the Lakers, they were very shorthanded. LeBron James, Luka Dončić, Marcus Smart, Maxi Kleber, Gabe Vincent and Adou Thiero were all unavailable for this game.
Luka will also miss Sunday’s game against the Warriors, so it’ll be a while before we see Los Angeles playing with everyone available.
One of their key guys who did play was Austin Reaves. With the two stars out, this was his time to shine and he did not disappoint.
His offensive aggression was evident the moment the game began. He missed his first 3-point attempt on the opening play, but once Jake LaRavia grabbed the offensive rebound, he regained possession and swung the ball to the opposite corner.
The ball eventually found him at the top of the key, and Reaves nailed the shot, giving the Lakers the very early lead.
The rest of the first half was a reminder of how electrifying Reaves can be. He was pushing the ball, running the offense and taking plenty of shots while remaining effective.
After two quarters of play, Reaves had a game-high 18 points, going 5-8 from the field and a perfect 7-7 from the free throw line.
“That’s what he does,” Jake LaRavia said. “That’s what Austin’s role is on this team, it’s to get buckets and facilitate for the rest of the players and he did just that.”
While Reaves played best, a few other players performed well. Jarred Vanderbilt showed his defensive prowess, and Rui Hachimura gave the Lakers an offensive spark.
Unfortunately, the rest of the game was a slew of lowlights and miscues.
The lineups were a gumbo of backups and training camp roster players and that’s not good enough when Devin Booker is on the other side.
Turnovers were plentiful as the Lakers gave the ball away 22 times and baskets were scarce as LA went 31% from the field and a woeful 17% from 3-point range.
Still, the performance from Reaves was bright enough to shine even in the darkness that was this preseason opener for the purple and gold.
“We have three elite offensive creators on our team,” head coach JJ Redick said. “We only had one of those guys in the lineup tonight. And they’ve got good perimeter defenders, so for him to do that in the 21 minutes he played was great.”
The last time we saw Reaves play, he was struggling against the Wolves and didn’t look like the kind of guard you want starting for a contending team.
The long-term data indicates that the series was an outlier for Reaves, and while a preseason game doesn’t supersede a first-round performance, it does remind Lakers fans just how great he can be.
The Lakers will only go as far this season as Luka, LeBron and Austin take them. There’s no need to call them a “Big Three”, but they are the trio that can create, lead and dominate for Los Angeles.
On Friday night, in the Palm Desert, without his two running mates, Reaves demonstrated he can take charge and handle his business regardless of who is on the floor.
We still have not seen what Reaves’ ceiling is. Each year, he’s added to his game, improved in key statistical categories and, considering he’s just 27 years old, his prime is still far from here.
If this preseason game is an appetizer for how Reaves will play when the main course, that is the regular season, starts, then the Lakers are in for a treat.
Now, they just need the rest of the key players to return and the ones who played on Friday to find their rhythm.
“I think we’re all going to click,” LaRavia said. “I think we’re all going to play really well together. We all complement each other really well.”
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
Category: General Sports
