Austin Reaves attempted 371 free throws in 51 games last season. The season before, he needed 73 games to attempt 366, according to Basketball Reference. That is the number I would put next to his name on the Lakers’ offensive planning sheet. A guard who reaches the line that often deserves chances to initiate possessions, even when Luka Doncic is standing beside him.
My preference after Wednesday’s opener is to keep Reaves involved early, with room to attack and permission to make the first decision. Doncic can remain the first option without turning Reaves into somebody who waits for a pass and checks the shot clock. The free throws give the Lakers a reason to preserve that distinction every night, including the nights when Reaves’ jumper is uncooperative.
The Lakers beat Golden State 127-105 on Oct. 21, with Reaves scoring 23, per Field Level Media’s recap. His new regular-season line on Basketball Reference shows 10 makes in 10 free-throw attempts, alongside six field goals in 11 attempts and one three in three tries. Ten of his points came without a made field goal. That is a useful evening’s work without needing to declare a new career phase after one game.
The longer comparison is more persuasive. Calculated from Basketball Reference’s totals, Reaves went from about 5.01 free-throw attempts per game in 2024-25 to 7.27 in 2025-26, an increase of roughly 45%. His listed playing time went from 34.9 minutes per game to 34.5. More minutes cannot explain a rise that happened while his average minutes moved slightly downward.
I would be careful about assigning a cause. Those totals do not tell us how many whistles came on drives, jumpers, late fouls or other situations. They do establish that Reaves produced substantially more trips to the line per appearance. For the Lakers, that is enough to make reducing him to a supporting shooter an unattractive offensive choice.
There is another useful way to express the change. From those same totals, he attempted approximately 35 free throws for every 100 field-goal attempts in 2024-25. Last season that became about 49. This is an attempt ratio, not a claim that he drew a foul on half his shots. It measures how much free-throw volume accompanied his shooting volume, and the movement is large enough to deserve attention.
His accuracy held up while the attempts increased. Basketball Reference lists him at 87.7% from the line in 2024-25 and 87.1% last season. He made 323 free throws in 2025-26, accounting for about 27% of his 1,187 points, by my calculation. The Lakers would be giving up a substantial part of his scoring if they built a role that discouraged him from creating contact opportunities.
I want possessions that give Reaves a scoring decision before the defense has already determined where he will send the ball. If the lane is available, attack it. If the defender retreats, take the available shot. If help arrives, make the pass while the opening still exists. A whistle can reward the attack; it should never be the only possible successful ending.
This is where I want JJ Redick to be deliberate about the possessions the guards share. My preferred sequence would sometimes begin with Doncic moving the ball to Reaves and letting him use the next screen. Luka should remain available for a return pass, but the return should be a choice. Reaves receiving the ball merely to hand it straight back does very little with the skill the numbers describe.
We made the case for Doncic attacking the paint first before the opener. Reaves gives that idea another route into the offense. I would like the defense to face a second guard who can keep a possession moving toward the basket after stopping the first action. That asks more of the opponent than having everyone wait for Luka to solve the same problem again.
The shot distribution supports letting Reaves do more than launch threes. Basketball Reference’s totals show 531 three-point attempts among 1,037 field-goal attempts in 2024-25, about 51%. Last season, 328 of his 762 attempts were threes, about 43%. Those calculated shares describe his shot selection. Still, his free-throw growth came alongside a smaller share of field-goal attempts from beyond the arc. I would preserve room for that broader scoring mix.
There is a real cost to giving him the ball, and the passing totals belong in the discussion. Basketball Reference records 280 assists and 151 turnovers last season, approximately 1.85 assists per turnover. That does not earn him unlimited possessions. It does mean the coaching instruction should be precise: make the next read sooner, keep an outlet available and stop a failed attack before it becomes a desperate pass. Shrinking his job to avoid every mistake would also shrink what the Lakers can ask a defense to cover.
Our preseason turnover breakdown argued for assigning responsibility to the players who actually made the mistakes. The same standard should apply here. If Reaves loses the ball trying to force a pass through traffic, correct that decision. If he gets an open shot and misses, let him take the next one. Treating both outcomes as evidence that Doncic needs the ball back would make the offense easier to prepare for.
I also would not turn the opening-night free throws into a nightly quota. Enjoy the ten attempts without letting that total dictate his decisions in the next game. Some opponents will defend without fouling. Sometimes a good Reaves possession will end in a teammate’s shot. I want his opportunity to attack protected even when the box score does not reward it with another parade to the line.
The practical test is whether Reaves gets to make a consequential decision while Doncic shares the floor. Watch what follows his first pass, too. Does he get another chance to attack, or spend the rest of the possession watching? His leadership responsibilities already ask him to help teammates understand the offense. Give him enough authority within that offense to put those decisions into practice.
Let Doncic command the defense. Keep giving Reaves a turn to make it uncomfortable.