Austin Reaves keeps hitting higher and higher heights as time goes on. He had already elevated his production during the first half of this season, but he took things to an even higher level in March and has averaged 25.9 points a game while shooting 52.6% from the field in his last 11 games.
There has been some talk lately that perhaps the Los Angeles Lakers stud has become the best third option in the NBA. But it is a legitimate debate, and former NBA player Chandler Parsons feels Reaves hasn't won that debate.
Parsons recently named several players who could be better No. 3 options than Reaves. He had previously said after Reaves' breakout 2022-23 campaign that 15 points a game was perhaps the undrafted guard's ceiling.
Chandler Parsons doesn't believe Austin Reaves will progress beyond being a 15/5/5 player and feels he's already approaching his ceiling
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 24, 2023
“He's not a player who's going to continue to get exceptionally better. It's not like the potential is through the roof with him.”
(Via… pic.twitter.com/WixsiJFKlB
After Reaves scored 31 points in Saturday's big win over the Memphis Grizzlies, which was his second-straight game with at least 30 points, Patrick Beverley brought back the receipt of Parsons' claim and called on the former forward to apologize.
White on White crime smh @ChandlerParsons now apologize like man 🧍♂️ https://t.co/2xtUL3CSay
— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) March 31, 2025
The arrival of Luka Doncic appears to have helped Reaves, as Reaves now doesn't have to work as hard for his points. Since Doncic's debut, he's shooting 46.7% from the field, compared to 44.8% from the field prior to Doncic's first game as a Laker this season.
But Reaves' skills and abilities have always stood on their own, and now the prognostications from the summer of 2023 that he would be a future All-Star don't seem nearly as preposterous.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Pat Beverley claps back at a gloomy take on Austin Reaves' ceiling
