From being linked to multiple trade rumors to reportedly turning down a $90 million extension, it’s been an eventful offseason for Lakers guard Austin Reaves. Now, he’s putting all that behind him, focusing on the upcoming season while betting on himself ahead of next summer’s free agency. Last year, the undrafted standout averaged 20.2 points, starting 73 games, but his defensive struggles in the playoffs raised questions. The real test now is whether Reaves has leaped this offseason.

That’s still up for debate, considering Austin Reaves has only appeared in one preseason game so far. The 27-year-old suited up for the Lakers’ opener against the Phoenix Suns, and while it’s a small sample size, he certainly looked in rhythm. Despite the Lakers’ lopsided loss, his composure and shot-making stood out, a promising sign for a player looking to prove he’s ready for a bigger role this season.

In fact, so much so that he has impressed several NBA scouts who were in attendance at the Acrisure Stadium. According to Dan Woike of The Athletic, “League sources scouting the Lakers in the preseason debut in Palm Desert left impressed with how Reaves held up as the primary offensive option. More of that in the non-Dončić minutes is suddenly even more critical.”

In LeBron-Luka’s absence, the focus was solely on Reaves, who was the only one suited up among the trio. Making full use of it, Reaves tallied an efficient 20 points, adding two assists and three rebounds in a limited 20 minutes. Although Austin Reaves’ offensive capabilities were never in doubt, the interesting part is that he has comfortably adapted to the role of a facilitator. This has opened new doors for head coach JJ Redick, who will have to lean less on Luka Doncic throughout the season.

Last season, the shooting guard already showed everyone the true ceiling of his potential during the regular season, averaging 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists. Now, it seems he’s all set to take this impressive state line even further up a notch. Nonetheless, given that this entire assessment has been made from just around 21 minutes of action, we should take the report with a pinch of salt, and the reason is here.

One of the biggest concerns about AR was its defensive capabilities, something this report makes no mention of. While there’s a chance he might’ve drastically improved that aspect of his game as well, we cannot be sure until we see that on the floor. Again, we’ll have to wait a few more games. In fact, this is a huge reason why Reaves was on the receiving end of some harsh criticism.

Evan Turner makes a bold prediction about Austin Reaves

While the NBA scouts are impressed by the Los Angeles Lakers’ star Austin Reaves, the same cannot be said for former Boston Celtics assistant coach Evan Turner. The former NBA star revealed his feelings about the Purple & Gold’s championship aspirations with Reaves as their third-best player. Although Turner suggested that Reaves is a great player and pretty talented, he is not good enough to be LA’s third-best player behind LeBron James and Luka Doncic.

While chatting with Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, Turner expressed how he feels about AR being the third-best option within the storied franchise. “You have Austin Reaves, he’s very talented,” he said. “But if you’re talking championship aspirations, that can’t be your third best. There has to be a secret weapon or a six-man killer.” Well, while this statement from Evan Turner might upset the Lakers Nation, he’s got a valid argument.

Reaves has performed beyond his expectations ever since arriving in Southern California as an undrafted guard, but he struggled to play under pressure. Just last season, after having a stunning campaign, the 27-year-old did not show up against Minnesota. However, that did not mean that Turner doesn’t believe that Austin Reaves might be able to turn the tables around this season.

Turner hoped that the guard could do just that during the upcoming campaign. “Hopefully, mentally he can show up and be prepared for that; there’s much more than showing up, setting a screen and playing with the two best players in the world,” he added.

Well, certainly AR can do so, and even the NBA scouts might be banking on him on a similar belief and trust. So now it will be up to the six-foot-five shooting guard to do justice to the front office’s decision of handing him a crucial role within the roster right behind two superstars despite his denying an extension. Will he be able to prove he’s capable of this role? That’s something only time will tell.