Austin Reaves quickly went from undrafted to playing nearly 30 minutes per game for the most illustrious franchise in the NBA. Reaves took on the role of the gritty overachiever at the Los Angeles Lakers, which makes rating him accurately a challenging task. Did NBA 2K24 get it right?
Despite being 25 years old, Austin Reaves has played just two seasons in the NBA, which is extremely uncommon for an American player in the modern era. The relatively short amount of time that Reaves has spent in the league does not harm his status in any way. If anything, it helps his reputation grow even more.
The shooting guard was fortunate enough to sign a contract with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2021 as the team was looking to build a new contending roster around superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis. It’s fair to say Reaves made the most of this opportunity.
He had a decent Rookie season averaging seven points a game on 46 percent shooting and made real strides during the 2022-23 campaign. Reaves lifted his scoring to 13 points per game on higher shooting percentages across the board. He even managed to do something role players rarely achieve in the NBA—Reaves’ numbers actually went up in the playoffs where the Lakers reached the Western Conference Finals.
Reaves’ progress on the NBA courts has not gone unnoticed and he has enjoyed a tremendous growth in NBA 2K as well, going from borderline unplayable in NBA 2K22 to the fourth-best Laker in NBA 2K24.
What is Austin Reaves’ rating in NBA 2K24?
Austin Reaves has an 81 OVR rating in NBA 2K24. This ranks him only behind LeBron James (96 OVR), Anthony Davis (94 OVR), and D’Angelo Russell (83 OVR) on the LA Lakers roster. For more perspective on how much has changed in the last two years, Reaves’ NBA 2K24 rating is in a whole different tier than Ben Simmons’.
The 81 OVR marks a growth of +13 from Austin Reaves’ very first 68 OVR player rating back in NBA 2K22 and a +7 from his 74 OVR starting rating in NBA 2K23. If he keeps the upward spiral and recent James Harden reports result in a trade, Austin Reaves might have a higher rating than another former 76er in NBA 2K25.
