Detroit Pistons: 3 under-the-radar free agents to watch in the playoffs

Detroit Pistons: 3 under-the-radar free agents to watch in the playoffs

Austin Reaves

Austin Reaves is one of the players who could walk away from these playoffs with a big payday on the horizon.

Reaves has been the one of the biggest two-way success stories this season, as he went from undrafted, to a two-way contract, to playing huge minutes in the playoffs for the Lakers alongside LeBron James.

Reaves started in the Lakers’ game 1 win over the Grizzlies and dropped 23 points with four assists, a steal and a block as one of the unlikely heroes that LeBron credited for the win.

The big question with 24-year-old Reaves is whether he is just he beneficiary of playing next to one of the all-time greats. Would he do as well in a larger role on a worse team?

He averaged 13 points per game this season on just under 40 percent from 3-point range, so he would help fill one of the Pistons’ needs, as they were the worst shooting team in the NBA this season.

The Lakers are limited in what they can offer Reaves, so he’s a guy the Detroit Pistons can likely get if they want to splash out for him. The question is how much is too much? Is he just a middling role player thriving because of LeBron and AD or is a guy who could do more in an expanded role?

Like the other two players on this list, there is a limit on how high the Pistons should go to get him, but all three could help various weaknesses and are having great playoffs so far.