It didn't take long for Austin Reaves to ascend from a perceived luxury to sheer necessity for the Lakers this past year.
The undrafted guard turned heads in his rookie season not with outward flash or dynamism, but instead, with his ability to fill in the gaps between the team’s stars and veterans through his wide range of utilities.
Across his scrappy defense, nuanced skill on offense and pure hustle, Reaves emerged as the Lakers’ very own roll of human duct tape. Whenever a roster, lineup or matchup issue presented itself — which was often — it was the 24-year-old who was smacked onto it with the hope that he could bandage all the faults around him.