Undraft → The strongest three players! 3 kills&&; 13.94 million this season. How much should Reeves get in the future?

The Lakers narrowly defeated the Timberwolves 116-115. LeBron James ($52.63 million), Doncic ($46 million), Vincent ($11.5 million), and Smart ($5.13 million) were absent - leaving them with a salary of over 100 million. The key to the Lakers' ability to defeat the Timberwolves is undoubtedly Reeves, who has a salary of 13.94 million this season!

Under the main defense of the famous 3D striker McDaniels, Reeves delivered a top-notch ball-handling performance of 28 points and 16 assists, and made a killer shot to seal the throat; in the last game, he faced the combination of three top perimeter defenders, Holiday, Kamara, and Thybulle. In the choke, he scored 41 points and 5 assists; in the third game of the season against the Kings, with Dong Zhan absent, Reeves scored 51 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 steals, leading the remnant Lakers to defeat the Kings team with DeRozan + LaVine + Westbrook + Schroeder + Sabonis Jr.

It is no exaggeration to say that Reeves, with the Lakers full of injured soldiers, is writing a story about the "Los Angeles River King" that is as crazy as New York Lin's!

34.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 10 assists, 1.8 steals (Reeves)

34.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.4 steals (Alexander)

Reeves is currently performing at the MVP level. As an undrafted player, his journey has not been easy. Three buzzer beaters represent Reeves' growth and transformation.

In the 2021 draft, Reeves, who has relatively mediocre physical talent, lost the selection without any suspense. The Lakers gave Reeves a two-way contract on July 30, 2021, and officially signed a two-year contract with Reeves on September 28, with a team option of 925,000 in the first year and 1.563 million in the second year. This also became a stepping stone for Reeves to enter the NBA.

December 16, 2021 is an important moment in Reeves' career. He made headlines in the Lakers' game against the Mavericks. He scored a three-pointer in overtime - the "Country Mamba" became popular on the Internet. The rookie Reeves scored 5 three-pointers as a substitute to save the Lakers. This battle established his rotation position in the Lakers.

Reaves grew into the Lakers' sixth man in his second year, averaging 13.0 points and 3.4 assists in 28.8 minutes per game. His three-point shooting percentage increased from 31.7% in his rookie season to 39.8%, and he averaged 1.3 three-pointers per game. The second-year Reeves is already an important substitute shooter for the Lakers, and ranked 7th in the annual Sixth Man selection. This year, he only received a salary of 1.56 million, which is very cost-effective.

The Lakers gave Reeves a four-year, 56 million contract extension in the summer of 2023, with an annual average of 14 million. For a country boy born in the small town of Newark, Arkansas (about 1,100 people), a sporadic high school student, and an undrafted player, this money is already an "unrejectable sky-high price" for Reeves.

In the third season of his NBA career (2023-24), Reeves has already established himself as the Lakers' starting shooting guard, the third in charge behind James.

In the 2024 Christmas Day game, the Lakers held a 4-point lead with 22.1 seconds before the end. Curry hit a three-pointer to narrow the point difference to 1 point, leaving the Lakers with 12.2 seconds; Reeves went to the free throw line and made two free throws, and the Lakers once again led by 3 points; Curry soared in the last 7.1 seconds and hit a 31-foot tying three-pointer. Reeves held the ball from outside the three-point line and beat Wiggins for a layup to beat the Warriors.

With James and James on the court during the Christmas game, Reeves' confidence and courage represented his status in the Lakers team. He has become the third leader behind James - averaging 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game this season. His salary of 12.98 million is the most cost-effective third player in the league.

Reeves' ability has also made great progress, averaging 2.7 three-pointers per game, and averaging 37.7% three-pointers per game. He can take into account both productivity and efficiency whether he is a fixed-point three-pointer or a three-pointer with the ball. He is also the second ball-handling point and organizer in the team after Lao Zhan. He ranks second in the team with 5.8 assists per game, shouldering the most important responsibility of the Lakers' perimeter combo guard.

In four years, from being undrafted to becoming the most cost-effective third-team player in the league, Reeves has embarked on an inspiring path.

Reeves averaged 40.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 10.0 assists and 2.8 steals per game in the absence of Dong Zhan. His performance proved that he can become part of the Lakers' future team building plan.

Reeves is strong in pick-and-roll offense. His physical fitness is not an advantage in one-on-one singles. His high golf IQ and sense of rhythm can play an important role as a commander in pick-and-roll attacks with the ball.

While praising Reeves, we need to pay attention to Ayton's data. Reeves can also activate Ayton in the absence of Dongzhan: 17 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block, 16 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block, 22 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block - Ayton and Reeves have a piece of the pick-and-roll. This is the most intuitive instigation value of Reeves.

Reeves averaged 38.5% three-point shooting per game and averaged 3 three-pointers per game; he also shot 58.3% from mid-range and 73.3% from the basket. He can break through, mid-range, hold the ball for three-pointers, and pass. In the last three games, the pick-and-roll offense in which Reeves participated in the defense of Sabonis, Klingen, and Gobert/Reed has been criticized.

Reaves has also made great progress in his ability to draw fouls. So far this season, he has averaged 11.6 free throws per game and averaged 10.4 points per game, ranking first in the league. He has become the latest generation of the league's "porcelain master". He also has his own formulaic way of drawing fouls: after breaking through, he takes the initiative to confront the defender. After being violated, he becomes unbalanced and moves widely, and it is easy to get the referee's whistle. He has studied the rules thoroughly and can break through, shoot, pass, and draw fouls. It is really difficult to defend..

Reeves accounted for 32% of the ball usage rate during the absence of Don Zhan. His ball usage rate last season was 23.7%. His ball-holding pick-and-roll style is in line with the trend of the mainstream version of the NBA today. He can also play without the ball to adapt to Doncic, making him a perfect secondary offensive candidate with the ball.

With Lao Zhan carrying a contract that expires in the last year, Doncic + Reeves are almost the answer to the Lakers' future.

In the future, the Lakers can give Lao James' maximum salary to Reeves, and combine Dong Zhan's two maximum salaries with a practical pick-and-roll system - treating Reeves as a low-profile version of Irving. The competitiveness of the Doncic + Reeves combination is obviously established.

Reeves' current performance is indeed worthy of a maximum salary, but the Lakers management must evaluate his final performance throughout the season. After all, his defensive problems have always been there. In terms of offense alone, Reeves is worth a large contract of 40 million+. Considering that defense and Doncic are enough to absorb the ball rights, at least 30 million starting is a relatively rational price to renew Reeves' contract.