Lakers' Austin Reaves 'Will Be an All-Star at Some Point Soon,' HC Darvin Ham Says

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham sees a bright future ahead for guard Austin Reaves.

Ham said on the #thisleague UNCUT podcast the 25-year-old "will be an All-Star at some point soon."

"The kid is a flat-out competitor," Ham said at the 3:55 mark of the show. "One of the greatest human beings you can ever be around. Always fun. Keeps things simple. But yet works at his craft, is fearless in the biggest moments. My plan is to continue to feature him. He's our starting 2-guard; I think there's a lot more levels he's gonna get to before it's all said and done."

Reaves gained a cult following as a rookie before enjoying a genuine breakout in 2022-23. He averaged 13.0 points on 52.9 percent shooting, including 39.8 percent from three-point range.

The Lakers' run to the Western Conference Finals reinforced the 6'5" guard's value as he was the team's third-best player behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis. His scoring average climbed to 16.9 points in the postseason, and he dropped 23 points, five rebounds and six assists on the Golden State Warriors in the series-clinching contest of the conference semifinals.

If Reaves continues to improve, then an All-Star nod could follow within the near future. However, the competition in the Western Conference backcourt figures to remain fierce.

Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is effectively a lock for one of the starting spots until he retires. The same is probably true for Luka Dončić as long as he plays on the Dallas Mavericks or another West team.

Breaking into the reserves will be no easy feat, either. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Damian Lillard and Ja Morant were voted into the 2023 All-Star Game as reserves, with Anthony Edwards and De'Aaron Fox filling in as injury replacements. Lillard is the only one of that group older than 25.

The Portland Trail Blazers star may not even open up much room if he gets traded to the Miami Heat because Kyrie Irving and Bradley Beal have both moved to the Western Conference since the 2023 All-Star voting closed. Irving was a starter for the Eastern Conference last season.

You can't blame Ham for being enthusiastic about one of his young stars, but Reaves might be fighting an uphill climb to attain All-Star recognition.