Despite not being a draft pick in the 2021 NBA draft, Austin Reaves didn’t let that deter his journey to the league. After not being on an official draft roster, he managed to secure a spot on a team nonetheless. Initially, it was anticipated that the Detroit Pistons would take him as the 42nd overall pick. Surprisingly however, Reaves chose a different path and entered into a two-way agreement with the Lakers.
In a surprisingly short period of just one month, Reaves transitioned from the two-way contract to a standard NBA agreement, stepping onto the court for his debut match in October. From that moment, there was no turning back for him. Reaves, initially seen as an undrafted player, carried a considerably low weight of expectations but was driven to leave a lasting impression.
The steep progression of Reaves’ abilities during his nascent NBA years has been impressive. His scoring rate nearly doubled from his initial seasons, a clear sign of his potential. Nonetheless, this pace of acceleration was expected to be his upper limit in the professional league.
A sports program called ‘Run It Back’ in October 2023 featured an bold prediction from Chandler Parsons on Reaves’ growth. Parsons conveyed a skeptical appraisal of Reaves’ potential, saying, ‘He’s not a player who’s going to get drastically better. He lacks a high ceiling in terms of potential.’ In Parsons’ view, Reaves looked destined to be an average player delivering 15 points alongside 5 assists and 5 rebounds per game.
However, the growth trajectory of the 26-year-old Reaves turned out to defy all anticipated barriers. In the current season, he records an average of 20.1 points, 5.9 assists, and 4.5 rebounds across 66 games. With seven of the last ten games witnessing him score 25 or more points, he has certainly displayed his worth.
In the most recent face-off against the Memphis Grizzlies, Reaves stood tall alongside star teammates LeBron James and Luka Doncic, delivering a remarkable 31 point score. His string of stellar performances compelled fellow player Patrick Beverley to bring up the previous comment made by Parsons.
Beverley openly dismissed the low expectations Parsons had for Reaves, indicating his disagreement with Parsons’s early assessment of the young rising star. Beverley’s call for an apology from Parsons, while resonating with his own sentiments, might seem heavy-handed given that Parsons’ earlier forecast was deemed reasonable by many during that time.
What was brewing between Beverley and Reaves was notably more than just differing career expectations. The two briefly shared a dressing room during the 2022-23 season in Los Angeles, before Beverley was transferred to the Chicago team. Their professional conduct maintained a friendly tone until an unexpected celebratory gesture by Reaves against the Bulls.
It all began when Reaves mimicked a ‘too little’ celebration that Beverley had earlier performed against LeBron James. Beverley took this celebration as a direct provocation against himself, causing a shift in his stance towards Reaves. Beverley committed himself to making each of Reaves’ encounters on the field a challenging one, stating, ‘He dared to perform that celebration in my home city against me. I assure you, I’ll now be gunning for him; nothing personal, just part of the game.’
His new mission, in his words, started from the day Reaves challenged him with the aforementioned celebration and would continue until his retirement. Beverley expressed his feeling of betrayal as he had publicly defended Reaves in the past, only to feel affronted by the younger player’s celebration gesture.