The Washington Wizards are showing signs of life through the first week of the season, but they still lack a player to be their No. 1 offensive player. Enter Austin Reaves, who just dropped 51 points on Sunday night and will be a free agent next summer.
Washington looked decent enough in their season opener in Milwaukee in a competitive loss to the Bucks. In their second game on the road in Dallas they shocked Anthony Davis and the Mavericks. Multiple players on the roster look to have taken a step forward, including versatile wing Kyshawn George and last year's No. 2 pick, Alex Sarr.
Yet what the Wizards clearly don't have is a player ready to step up as the No. 1 offensive option. On Sunday night in a blowout loss to the Charlotte Hornets they could do little else but stand and marvel as LaMelo Ball -- hardly a perennial MVP candidate -- dropped a 39-point triple double on Washington. There is no one on the Wizards who can do anything like that.
Luckily for the Wizards, they will head into next summer with what is likely to be a high draft pick and a substantial amount of cap space. And as they iced their knees and left the arena after the loss to the Hornets, they had the opportunity to tune into an even better performance as the Los Angeles Lakers snuck out a win over the Sacramento Kings -- and perhaps saw their future in the process.
Austin Reaves could be the Wizards' next All-Star
LeBron James is out to start the season dealing with old man back issues, and Luka Doncic just suffered a minor injury that will sideline him for a week. Yet while the Wizards have zero No. 1 options, the Lakers have three, and Austin Reaves stepped up to the plate and put on a scoring clinic.
Reaves shot 12-for-22 from the field, including 6-for-10 from 3-point range, raining jumpers and layups and finger rolls onto the heads of the hapless Kings. They tried to stop him by fouling him, and that merely resulted in a 21-for-22 line from the stripe for the fifth-year guard.
While the Lakers got Reaves on a bargain contract for the past few seasons, the downside is coming home to roost, as they couldn't sign Reaves to a market contract extension before the season. Now he is on track to reach unrestricted free agency and will be in line for a massive payday.
Can the Lakers afford to pay Reaves something akin to a max deal when they also are paying Luka Doncic and want to upgrade the roster to replace LeBron James? It certainly feels important on nights like this, but when Doncic is healthy, Reaves' role is limited by definition.
That could open things up for a team like the Wizards to offer a No. 1 role to Reaves. Washington may not be Hollywood, but the Eastern Conference is a softer loaf to slice, and being the top option may appeal to Reaves. Joining a young up-and-coming team could allow him to take a starring role, something he cannot do playing alongside an MVP candidate like Doncic.
Reaves would be an excellent fit alongside what the Wizards are building, with Tre Johnson and Kyshawn George on the wing and Alex Sarr in the middle. There are also a host of other options just waiting to pop and become longtime NBA rotation players. Add in a Top-5 pick and Austin Reaves next summer and they would be cooking with gas.
51 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists and two steals is a phenomenal stat line. Wouldn't it look great coming in a Wizards uniform?