<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-jj-redick-hates-nba-award-austin-reaves-could-win');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Lakers’ JJ Redick ‘hates’ NBA award that Austin Reaves could win');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/JJ-Redick-Austin-Reaves.jpg"><figcaption>Kirby Lee-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Why Lakers’ JJ Redick ‘hates’ NBA award that Austin Reaves could win</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-02T22:00:14-07:00">April 2nd, 10:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-02T22:00:14-07:00">April 2nd, 10:00pm</time><address><a>Troy Finnegan</a>Troy Finnegan is a Senior Editor and College Sports Lead at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a critical sports studies certificate. He has had a passion for sports his entire life, and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/lakers-news-lebron-james-honest-admission-thriving-luka-doncic-austin-reaves">Los Angeles Lakers look the part of one of the best teams in the NBA</a> this season with LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reeves all in the lineup. Ever since the trade to bring Doncic in from the Dallas Mavericks, the Lakers have been finding their groove as the playoffs get closer and closer.</p><p>Everyone knows what Doncic and James bring to the table. The former is coming off of an epic playoff run with Dallas and can be the best player in any given game and any given series. The latter is arguably the greatest player of all time and can dominate on any night.</p><p>It is the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/lakers-news-lebron-james-explains-austin-reaves-changes-offense">performance of Reaves that may be the most surprising</a> and could make the Lakers one of the scariest teams to play in the playoffs. The Oklahoma product has emerged as one of the best secondary ball handlers in the NBA this season and is a candidate for the league’s Most Improved Player as a result.</p><p>Despite his excellent season, Lakers head coach JJ Redick doesn’t think that Reaves has <a href="https://x.com/mcten/status/1907520025277378911" rel="noopener">any shot of winning the award</a>, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">JJ Redick with a discussion about NBA awards today after practice, says he think he is more informed to make picks as a coach than he was as a media member. That said, he didn’t even want to discuss Austin Reaves’ case as MIP because he says that award’s been misinterpreted <a href="https://t.co/WnFhY90Bbp">pic.twitter.com/WnFhY90Bbp</a></p><p>— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) <a href="https://twitter.com/mcten/status/1907520025277378911?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“I hate that award because they’ve failed to define it,” Redick said. ” The spirit of it has been taken out of wack. Just call it the high draft pick who’s on a max contract and now is an All-Star. Just call it that award. Who’s that guy? Because that’s what it’s become.”</p><p>Redick does have a point, as players such as Brandon Ingram and Ja Morant have won the award in recent years. This season, it seems as if that trend will continue, as <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/pelicans-news-zion-williamson-cade-cunningham-disrespect-all-nba-mic-drop">Detroit Pistons superstar Cade Cunningham is the current favorite</a> to win.</p><p>Even if Reaves doesn’t get the award, he has still had an excellent season that deserves recognition. In 67 games this season, Reaves is averaging nearly 20 points per game and dishing out almost six assists a night. He has also been able to scale his role up or down effectively based on who is or isn’t in the lineup, which is a great skill for a player like him to have.</p><p>Reaves will be a critical player in these NBA playoffs. If he can keep this level of play up, this Lakers team has a legitimate chance to win another NBA Championship in its first season with Redick as head coach.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Lakers’ JJ Redick ‘hates’ NBA award that Austin Reaves could win

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-lebron-james-explains-austin-reaves-changes-offense');   ga('set', 'title', 'LeBron James explains how Austin Reaves changes Lakers’ offense');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Lakers-news-LeBron-James-explains-how-Austin-Reaves-changes-LAs-offense.jpg"></figure><h1>LeBron James explains how Austin Reaves changes Lakers’ offense</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-01T16:12:36-07:00">April 1st, 4:12pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-01T16:12:36-07:00">April 1st, 4:12pm</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a>Benedetto Vitale is an avid sports writer who is an expert at covering the NFL, college football, NBA, and UFC. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2016 with a film degree but has since dedicated his career to sports writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With all eyes on <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-lebron-james-honest-admission-thriving-luka-doncic-austin-reaves">LeBron James and Luka Doncic</a>, it appears star guard Austin Reaves has fallen to the way side in terms of opposing teams giving him attention. For that reason, James recently explained how Reaves is essentially a game-changer for the Los Angeles Lakers with the playoffs right around the corner.</p><p>In the latest episode of the “Mind the Game” podcast that’s hosted by LeBron James and Steve Nash, James <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1907203050009411788" rel="noopener">revealed just how valuable</a> Reaves is to the Lakers. The 40-year-old forward claims that most teams in the NBA don’t have three key defensive options, which allows Austin Reaves to get open and play at a high level with all of the attention on himself and teammate Luka Doncic.</p><p>“Myself and Luka [Doncic] will have the two best defenders every night. There’s not many teams with a third defender. And that third defender has to guard Austin Reaves. We have the ability to interchange.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"Myself and Luka [Doncic] will have the two best defenders every night. There's not many teams with a third defender. And that third defender has to guard Austin Reaves. We have the ability to interchange."</p><p>—LeBron James</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/mindthegamepod?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mindthegamepod</a>)<a href="https://t.co/klELMbR1tR">pic.twitter.com/klELMbR1tR</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1907203050009411788?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Reaves, who is in the fourth season of his career, is experiencing career highs. His elevated play is giving the Lakers a strong third option behind LeBron James and Luka Doncic, giving the team plenty of options to score at will. Through 67 games played, Reaves is averaging 19.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game while shooting 45.5% from the field and 36.0% from the three-point line.</p><p>The 26-year-old guard has been involved in trade rumors in the past. However, he seems to be a fantastic fit with James and Doncic. Considering <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-lebron-james-randy-moss-la-full-court-pass-success">how well the Lakers are playing</a> right now, there’s reason to believe the front office elects to use Reaves as a building block for the future after LeBron James eventually retires.</p><p>Los Angeles currently owns the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference and is on a two-game winning streak. With just seven games remaining on the schedule, the Lakers appear to be a lock for the playoffs. The goal now is to remain one of the Top 6 seeds in the West to avoid participating in the play-in tournament.</p><p>We’ll see LeBron James and the Lakers take the court again on Thursday night when they face off against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. A victory will extend the winning streak to three and possibly give L.A. a three-game lead over the Memphis Grizzlies.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

LeBron James explains how Austin Reaves changes Lakers’ offense

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-lebron-james-honest-admission-thriving-luka-doncic-austin-reaves');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers’ LeBron James drops honest admission on thriving off Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/LeBron-James-drops-honest-admission-on-thriving-off-Luka-Doncic-Austin-Reaves.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers’ LeBron James drops honest admission on thriving off Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-01T13:16:03-07:00">April 1st, 1:16pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-01T13:16:03-07:00">April 1st, 1:16pm</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter, as well as an Associate Editor. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Ever since the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-luka-doncic-trade-nba-pissed-confused-month-later">Los Angeles Lakers traded for Luka Doncic</a>, it has been a dream come true for LeBron James and Austin Reaves. With the latter on the ascension this season, adding the Slovenian superstar only sweetens the deal.</p><p>On the Mind The Game Podcast, James and Hall of Fame point guard Steve Nash talked about the two Lakers players. In particular, James elaborated on how <a href="https://youtu.be/EshJkgzYkV4?t=1998" rel="noopener">he’s been able to play off of them</a> effortlessly.</p><p>“When I know that it’s for the betterment of the team and for ultimately for us to reach our rim, I’m able to adapt to whatever position that needs to be done,” James said.</p><p>“In this case understanding how great Luka is, how on the rise Austin is, I can do things that affect the game still that benefit our team.”</p><p>Reaves is having a career year. Although the numbers are up significantly, he’s taken a major step as a playmaker. While the Lakers didn’t have a de facto point guard, Reaves embraced the role.</p><h2><b>Lakers’ LeBron James loves Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves</b></h2><p>Having two guards that can initiate the offense is a rarity nowadays. Combine that with James’s basketball IQ and it is a lethal trio. The funny thing though, is that Doncic and Reaves are nowhere near James’s athleticism.</p><p>Both players rely on their craftiness around the basket, and with the ball. However, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-austin-reaves-eye-opening-take-lebron-james-luka-doncic-trust">Reaves feels that the trust between him, Doncic, and James is at a high</a>.</p><p>Still, the Lakers are taking advantage of the midseason move. They sit fourth in a highly competitive Western Conference at 46-29. Going back to the all-time leading scorer in NBA history though. This isn’t the first time he’s raved about his teammates.</p><p>For instance, James said that Doncic will inspire the next generation of basketball players and people. At the same time, Reaves could slowly make his way into that category.</p><p>Meanwhile, co-host Steve Nash chimed in and analyzed what James is going through, from a coaches perspective.</p><p>There has been examples in our league where great players playing with other great players like to, your turn, my turn,” Nash said.</p><p>“Immediately, you were bought into ‘I’m not standing over here in the parking lot waiting for Luka to do his thing.’ I’m going to eat off of him and create for him.”</p><p>With the Lakers <a href="http://www.playoffstatus.com/nba/lakersstandings.html" rel="noopener">trying to solidify their playoff spot</a>, the trust between the three stars is worth noting. That alone can take them far into the Western Conference playoffs.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers’ LeBron James drops honest admission on thriving off Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-chandler-parsons-defends-previous-austin-reaves-prediction');   ga('set', 'title', 'Chandler Parsons defends previous Austin Reaves ’15/5/5′ prediction');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Lakers-news-Chandler-Parsons-defends-previous-Austin-Reaves.jpg"><figcaption>ClutchPoints</figcaption></figure><h1>Chandler Parsons defends previous Austin Reaves ’15/5/5′ prediction</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-01T13:08:26-07:00">April 1st, 1:08pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-01T13:08:26-07:00">April 1st, 1:08pm</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Former NBA forward and current analyst Chandler Parsons took time during Tuesday’s episode of Run It Back on FanDuel TV to clarify and <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1907086273308713445" rel="noopener">defend his earlier statistical projection</a> for Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves. Parsons had previously predicted a 15-point, five-rebound, five-assist season from Reaves — a statline some interpreted as underestimating the 26-year-old’s impact.</p><p>“I didn’t know 15 [points], five [rebounds], and five [assists] was an insult when I said that,” Parsons said on air. “Clearly, Laker Nation saw a ball-dominant guard in Luka Doncic coming there and Austin Reaves’ numbers somehow going up, and I missed that. You gotta credit the dude.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“I didn’t know 15/5/5 was an insult… he didn’t take it as an insult… I was wrong. He’s playing really good &amp; I’m happy for him.”</p><p>Chandler Parsons on a convo he had with Austin Reaves after predicting a 15/5/5 ceiling.</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/RunItBackFDTV?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RunItBackFDTV</a>)<a href="https://t.co/SlawUTjZc3">pic.twitter.com/SlawUTjZc3</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1907086273308713445?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>Parsons revealed that he spoke directly with Reaves regarding the projection, stating the Lakers guard didn’t take it personally.</p><p>“I talked to Austin Reaves about this. I saw him at the game… he didn’t take it as an insult, and the people that don’t know him or don’t know anything about him did take it as an insult,” Parsons said. “The dude is balling… he’s always been an efficient, smart, tough player, and I did think his numbers would take a hit with Luka there just on simple ball usage rate — but he’s flourishing under the JJ Redick offense. He’s still getting his touches, he’s still getting his minutes, he’s being efficient too. He’s shooting 45-46% from the field, 36% from three, so he’s still taking good shots.”</p><h2>Chandler Parsons admits misjudging Reaves amid Lakers’ playoff push</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Austin-Reaves-15-reacts-in-the-first-half-against-the-San-Antonio-Spurs.jpg"><figcaption>© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Parsons reiterated that his prediction wasn’t meant as a slight.</p><p>“Listen, again, like I said, 15, five, and five wasn’t an insult when I said that. I didn’t know how much room there was to grow… it’s 26 [points], and five, and that’s a big step up,” he added. “So I was wrong, and listen, he’s playing really good and I’m happy for him.”</p><p>Reaves is currently enjoying the most productive season of his four-year career. Through 67 games, he is averaging 19.9 points, 5.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 45.5% from the field and 36% from beyond the arc. His recent stretch has been even more impressive. Over his last 10 games, Reaves is averaging 25.7 points, 6.1 assists, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game on 52% shooting.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-lebron-james-mission-after-game-sealing-block-beat-rockets">Lakers have won two straight, including a 104-98 win over the Houston Rockets</a> on Monday night that featured a clutch, game-sealing block by LeBron James. The victory pushed Los Angeles to 46-29 on the season, further strengthening their hold on the fourth seed in the Western Conference.</p><p>With just six games remaining, the Lakers are now within 2.5 games of the second-seeded Rockets and hold tiebreakers over key rivals in the standings. They will look to continue their push on <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-luka-doncic-terrible-injury-admission-warriors">Thursday night when they host the Golden State Warriors (43-31)</a> in a nationally televised matchup on TNT.</p><p>Reaves’ continued rise has not only validated his role as a core contributor but also reinforced his value in a deep playoff run — surpassing expectations and silencing early doubts along the way.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chandler Parsons defends previous Austin Reaves ’15/5/5′ prediction

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-must-take-advantage-austin-reaves-breakout-season-2026-free-agency');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers must take advantage of Austin Reaves’ breakout season before 2026 free agency');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LAKERS-MUST-TAKE-ADVANTAGE-OF-AUSTIV-REAVES-BREAKOUT-SEASON-BEFORE-2026-FREE-AGENCY.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers must take advantage of Austin Reaves’ breakout season before 2026 free agency</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-31T12:12:43-07:00">March 31st, 12:12pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-31T14:16:48-07:00">March 31st, 2:16pm</time><address><a>Anthony Irwin</a>Anthony Irwin has been covering the Lakers in some capacity for roughly a decade at outlets such as Locked on Lakers, Silver Screen &amp; Roll and Forum Blue &amp; Gold. He currently podcasts about the team on The Lakers Lounge and the NBA in general on Basketball Passport. He looks forward to continuing his reporting for ClutchPoints after entering the rumor foray over the last couple years.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Austin Reaves has progressed all the way from cute, fun story to bonafide <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/lakers-news-austin-reaves-eye-opening-take-lebron-james-luka-doncic-trust">third star alongside LeBron James and Luka Doncic</a>. His continued upward trajectory has put the Los Angeles Lakers in a truly unique situation, employing three stars with legitimate flexibility to improve their roster beyond them — a cap situation that won’t last long as 2025 NBA free agency looms.</p><p>Because of the oxymoron that is restricted free agency, Reaves is <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/player/_/id/74218/austin-reaves" rel="noopener">currently on the books</a> for an astoundingly cheap $12.9 million this season, with two years and $28.8 million left on his current contract. He has a player option for the 2026-27 season that he will almost assuredly opt-out of to finally hit unrestricted free agency.</p><p>When those negotiations begin, they’ll be for an absolutely critical player to the Lakers’ success.</p><p>On the season, Reaves is averaging 20.1 points, 5.9 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game. He’s done so while operating at times as a primary, secondary, and tertiary creator, maintaining his own rhythm no matter what was asked of him. Here is a fun list of the roles and responsibilities he’s had to carry this season:</p><ul><li>Start next to D’Angelo Russell, guard the other teams’ best perimeter player, AND initiate the offense</li><li>Start next to Max Christie (who handled perimeter defense), initiate the offense</li><li>Start next to Doncic, focus back on point of attack defense, shift to secondary/tertiary creator</li></ul><p>In all three instances (and every situation in between), Reaves figured out ways to maximize his impact, no matter what the Lakers were asking of him. His own individual production is obviously impressive, but when you consider the flexibility he’s had to show en route to that nightly stat line, Reaves might actually be one of the most unique players in the NBA.</p><p>As such, he won’t be cheap for long.</p><p>This summer, Reaves will become eligible for an extension of four years worth around $90 million. Even for the sake of showing good faith, Rob Pelinka would be wise to offer the full max, even if Reaves is considered unlikely by league sources to sign the deal. He’s then expected to opt out of his player option for the ’26-27 season.</p><p>With the cap rising and Reaves filling a critical position on a title hopeful, the floor for his next contract probably sits at around $32 million and goes up from there, depending on how this and next season go.</p><p>Reaves will have no shortage of interest around the league, too, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. The San Antonio Spurs were considering making him a poison pill offer last time he was a free agent, and now that he’ll be unrestricted, they’re considered likely to circle back to Reaves even with Stefon Castle and De’Aaron Fox because of the aforementioned flexibility. There are several other teams monitoring the situation, too, according to league sources.</p><p>So, with Reaves’ contract potentially tripling in value in the next couple years and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/lakers-news-rip-hamilton-gets-real-on-40-year-old-lebron-james">James’ ongoing battle with Father Time</a>, the Lakers’ first title window with Doncic is pretty definitively set at this and next season. From there, they’ll have to reassess their situation and, in all likelihood, pursue a star to replace James.</p><p>How this year’s campaign will go will depend largely on a rather shallow rotation and unproven starting center in Jaxson Hayes. James and Rui Hachimura are both nursing injuries. Reaves, James, and Doncic have all been learning to play together on the fly. If the Lakers overcome all of that and go on a lengthy playoff run, it would lay the foundation for a successful Doncic era.</p><p>This summer will be the latest, most-important offseason in recent Lakers history. With James considered likely to opt out of his contract, some draft compensation, and expiring contracts, Pelinka will have the tools to build a serious title contender and Doncic, Reaves, and James for next season.</p><p>As always, the pressure will be on Pelinka and the Lakers organization to produce at a high level this summer. If they don’t, things get tricky, quickly.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
19.2	4.3	6.1	0.3	1.2

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
19.2	4.3	6.1	0.3	1.2

Austin Reaves

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Lakers must take advantage of Austin Reaves’ breakout season before 2026 free agency

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