Lakers guard Austin Reaves averaged 20 ppg during the team’s 2026 playoff run.
The Los Angeles Lakers have re-signed guard Austin Reaves. Originally joining the Lakers as an undrafted free agent following the 2021 NBA Draft, the 28-year-old will enter his sixth season with the Purple and Gold.
“Austin’s relentless pursuit of improvement, fierce competitiveness and commitment to winning have made him an integral part of our organization,” said Los Angeles Lakers President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Rob Pelinka. “From the moment he joined the Lakers, Austin has embodied the work ethic and selfless approach that define our culture. We’re thrilled to continue building with him as a cornerstone of our team as we pursue our championship goals.”
Reaves appeared in 51 games (45 starts) for the Lakers in 2025-26, averaging a career-high 23.3 points to go along with 4.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.1 steals in 34.5 minutes. His 23.3 points per game marked the highest scoring average by an undrafted player since Moses Malone averaged 23.8 in 1985-86 and the highest by an undrafted Lakers player since George Mikan’s 23.8 in 1951-52. The Arkansas native has increased his scoring average in each of his five NBA seasons, climbing from 7.3 points per game as a rookie in 2021-22 to 23.3 in 2025-26.
Reaves and Lakers backcourt teammate Luka Dončić (33.5) combined to form the NBA’s highest-scoring duo in 2025-26, averaging 56.8 points per game. Reaves became just the second undrafted player in franchise history to score 5,000 career points exclusively with the Lakers, joining Mikan, and climbed into fifth place on the franchise’s all-time 3-pointers list with 611 career makes.
Reaves continued his ascent in 2025-26, averaging at least 5.0 assists for the third consecutive season. He scored in double figures in all 51 appearances, highlighted by a career-high 51 points at Sacramento Oct. 26. The performance made Reaves the 12th player in franchise history to score 50 or more points in a game. Three days later at Minnesota, he matched his career high with 16 assists before sinking a game-winning buzzer-beater, his third career game-winning field goal with less than two seconds remaining.
In 331 career regular season games (216 starts) with the Lakers, Reaves has averaged 15.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 30.8 minutes while shooting 48.3 percent from the field, 36.8 percent from 3-point range and 86.5 percent from the free-throw line. He has also appeared in 32 career playoff games (31 starts) with the Purple and Gold, averaging 17.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 36.6 minutes. Reaves started all 16 postseason games during the Lakers run to the 2023 Western Conference Finals.
OFFICIAL: Laker Nation, HE'S BACK. pic.twitter.com/gQ6NP4hoPJ
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) July 12, 2026
