Wealthy Paul concurs with Max Kellerman that Austin Reaves of the Lakers should be Manu Ginobili
The Los Angeles Lakers, who are currently 17-6 ahead of their NBA Cup knockout matchup with the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night, have had a great start to the 2025 NBA season. Austin Reaves has had a particularly strong start to the season, averaging more than 28 points per game and more than making up for LeBron James' prolonged absence.
Recently, James' agent Rich Paul and sports analyst Max Kellerman discussed what Reaves' ideal role would look like on a competitive team Cheap NBA Jerseys.
“Ideally, Austin Reaves…is Ginobili. In an ideal world…” said Kellerman, per Silver Screen and Roll, via the “Game Over” podcast (per Hoopshype).
Paul: “On a championship team?” wondered Paul.
“On a championship team, he’s the killer sixth man,” clarified Kellerman.
“Yeah,” Paul agreed.
Given how he has been playing so far this season, Lakers supporters may need some time to get used to the idea of Austin Reaves in a sixth man role. However, there have been serious doubts about the sustainability of a backcourt that includes both Reaves and Luka Doncic. Even though this year's results have been positive thus far, the Minnesota Timberwolves playoff game last year raised serious concerns about Reaves and Doncic's ability to offer sufficient defensive resistance on the perimeter.
Still, for now, the Lakers are humming along with Reaves in the starting lineup, getting off to a better start than most pundits expected, and that's expected to only accelerate now that James is back in the lineup.
It remains to be seen whether Rob Pelinka and company will look to swing a trade for another defensive-minded player ahead of the deadline, but for now, Los Angeles is sitting pretty.
The Lakers will next play the Spurs on Wednesday at 10:00 p.m. ET; the victor will advance to Las Vegas.











