The Pistons were reportedly in hot pursuit of Austin Reaves during the offseason before the Lakers brought him back on a 4-year/$180 million contract extension. Detroit was eager to take a big swing for a second creator, and Reaves showed why he was worthy of that interest on Sunday.
Without MVP frontrunner Luka Doncic in the lineup, Reaves led the Lakers to a win in Detroit with 43 points. He showed off his full scoring arsenal by breaking down the Pistons with drives to the rim, stepback midrange buckets and pull-up threes. The Pistons would’ve relished pairing that talent next to Cade Cunningham in their own backcourt.
Reaves would’ve been a great addition
The Pistons have instead been left to start this season without another solid star next to Cunningham, since his All-Star running mate Jalen Duren has missed time to injuries. Duren hasn’t played since the second game of the season and is now slated to miss two more weeks with a hamstring strain.
Meanwhile, Reaves is off to an All-Star level start this season. He’s averaging over 25 points per game after his outburst in Detroit while shooting 51% from the field, 41% from three and even 91% from the free throw line. And the best part of his game is his offensive versatility, which has allowed him to be successful with or without Luka.
Reaves is an elite shooter who can be a lethal off-ball weapon with his movement. When Luka has the ball, Reaves can use that skillset to still make an impact. That same would have been true if he was in Detroit with Cade on the ball.
But Reaves’ own on-ball abilities, both as a scorer and occasional playmaker (he’s averaging about 5 assists per game this season), would look even better in Detroit. Cade needs another creator more than Luka does, and Reaves would be perfect in that role.
There’s still a big playoff question with Reaves
However, Reaves carries the same lingering issue as Duren after last season. Both have underperformed in the playoffs relative to their regular season standards. For Reaves last season, that meant averaging 20 points and 6 assists per game against the Thunder but only shooting 41% from the field and 26% from three.
Those “down” numbers were still a lot better than Duren’s own playoff disaster. But Reaves has a longer track record of declining in the playoffs over the last three postseasons. Still, his creation ability on the perimeter offers a higher offensive floor than Duren’s game, which can be neutralized by a team with strong interior defense.
The Pistons still need another player with a skillset like Reaves. Duncan Robinson has been great to start the season, but he doesn’t have the same self-creation and versatility as Reaves. Hopefully Detroit finds a way to get those skills on the floor, whether through internal growth or a midseason trade.
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