When it comes to the upcoming playoff series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves, much of the attention is focused on the three superstars who will be on the court: LeBron James and Luka Doncic for the Lakers and Anthony Edwards for the Timberwolves.
But Austin Reaves has the potential to be a thorn in Minnesota’s side. He has emerged as an All-Star-level player this season with averages of 20.2 points and 5.8 assists a game, and he finished strong by putting up 24.9 points on 52.4% overall shooting and 42.4% from 3-point range in his last 17 games.
Doncic has made life easier for Reaves, and it isn’t only because he sucks in defenses like an industrial-strength vacuum. On the first episode of the new season of the “Mind the Game” podcast, James explained how Doncic has changed things for Reaves (h/t Lake Show Life).
“Myself and Luka 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,” James told his podcast partner, Steve Nash.
On his eponymous podcast, Zach Lowe took this a step further and talked about what this setup will mean for Reaves during the upcoming series versus the Timberwolves, while implying that the guard could result in Reaves enjoying a Thanksgiving-style feast.
“That looks to be, on paper, the only safe place to put Mike Conley,” Lowe told Bill Simmons. “But it’s not a safe place. Austin Reaves will hurt you in a million different ways.”
In his heyday, Conley was a fine defender. But at age 37, he’s well past his prime, and at six feet tall and 175 pounds, he’s vastly undersized compared to the 6-foot-5 Reaves. Reaves could, at least in theory, shoot over Conley with ease, and it could even result in the Timberwolves having to bring a help defender on him, which would open things up for others.
At least on paper, the Lakers simply have too much star power for the Timberwolves, even though the Timberwolves have a bigger and taller frontcourt.