Lakers move Austin Reaves into starting lineup

LOS ANGELES — Darvin Ham gave a glint of a smile when asked about his starting lineup’s recent slow starts.

“We got a little something up our sleeve tonight,” the Lakers coach said.

Ham’s penchant for lineup secrecy offered a little suspense leading up to Wednesday night’s home tip-off against Phoenix, but not for long. Fresh off a career-best 35 points against the Orlando Magic, Austin Reaves was moved into the starting five.

While the second-year guard has had his cracks with the starting group – this was his 13th start of the season – Reaves hadn’t started a game since Jan. 4, before he sat out for a month with an injury. He’s largely been a bench sniper and, since Russell Westbrook was traded, a second ball handler off the bench next to Dennis Schröder.

But with LeBron James out of the lineup in recent weeks, Reaves has stepped up. The 24-year-old averaged 17.7 points and 5.3 assists in the 11 games without James while shooting 56.4% from the floor and nearly 40% from 3-point range. The Orlando game just happened to be one when he put it all together for a career night.

“I just think he’s maturing before our eyes as a high-level NBA player,” Ham said of Reaves. “We always saw the talent. We always saw the glimpses. Big moments where he played really, really huge for us. Now it’s just more on a consistent basis. He’s comfortable.”

Critically, Reaves has also been effective in lineups with Anthony Davis. Their season-long net rating is plus-9.5, according to stat site Cleaning the Glass. Reaves started Wednesday’s game 4 for 5 in the first quarter with 10 points, and ran pick-and-roll actions with Davis as his screener.

Reaves is also one of the best whistle-inducers in the league: According to CTG, he draws fouls on 20.1% of his shot attempts, one of the best marks for a guard. In crunchtime situations, Reaves has been one of the team’s consistently dependable players, especially when it comes to generating offense.

“He knows what spots he wants to get to,” Ham said. “He understands when things are kinda off-balance for us offensively. He knows how to get to the line. He knows how to make big plays, passes. Scraps in there, draws charges. He just does a little bit of everything.”

The lineup change displaced Malik Beasley, who moved to the bench. Since being acquired from the Utah Jazz, Beasley has been cold (aside from a rip-roaring shooting night in New Orleans). In the last 11 games without James, he’s shot 32.5% from behind the arc.

Ham said he wanted Beasley to maintain his confidence even in his new role.

“Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot. Stay aggressive. Do what you do,” Ham said of his advice to Beasley. “Keep competing on the defensive end. But don’t get discouraged, man. … Just encouarging him to be aggressive – constantly be aggressive. Let him know that I’m all for him. I have his back.”

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