From Undrafted to Unstoppable: Austin Reaves's incredible rise at the Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Austin Reaves has become the new star in Hollywood, showing his value in his playoff debut against the Memphis Grizzlies last weekend.

The Lakers star produced 23 points on Sunday, with 14 coming in the fourth quarter, as The Lakers saw off the Grizzlies 128-112 in game one.

In the post-game interview, Lakers star LeBron James spoke on Reaves, saying: "It's not surprising to me. I knew from the first practice that we had when we grabbed him, that he wasn't going to be a two-way player for long."

From going undrafted to leading LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers to a playoff victory, let's look at his journey so far!

Reaves attended Cedar Ridge High School in Newark, Arkansas, winning back-to-back 2A State titles in his first two years. His standout performance was a 73-point outburst against Forrest City High School.

Austin Reaves won the 3A State title and was named MVP of the state tournament, averaging 43.3 points a game through four games. He was a two-time select for the All-State team.

Reaves committed to play college basketball at Wichita State but missed the majority of his first year, undergoing surgery on his left shoulder.

The guard underwent surgery on his right shoulder after dislocating it on numerous occasions. However, on his return from injury, he averaged eight points and three rebounds in his sophomore year.

After his sophomore season, Reaves transferred to the University of Oklahoma and sat out the following season due to NCAA rulings.

As a junior in college, Reaves averaged 15 points and five rebounds, with a career night of 41 points against Texas Christian University. In his senior year, Reaves earned First Team All-Big 12 honors, averaging 18.4 points and six rebounds.

On March 31, 2021, Reaves declared for the 2021 NBA draft, wiping away his college eligibility.

Reaves was undrafted on draft night and subsequently signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers in August 2021.

In September 2021, The Lakers guard has his contract upgraded to an NBA contract and strung together some decent performances, including eight points on his debut and 15 points off five from six three-point attempts against the Dallas Mavericks.

After going undrafted at the start of the 2021 season, Reaves made a significant contribution in his first year, averaging seven points, three rebounds, and two assists.

This season has seen the young guard taking his performances to another level, averaging nearly twice as many points (13ppg) and producing big plays down the stretch.

Even the best players in the NBA are taking note, with Damian Lillard taking to Twitter saying, "My bad. Reaves like that." Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young said: "Austin Reaves, getting that bag this summer. My boy, cooking!!"

As Trae Young suggested, Reaves is to get a new contract this summer due to being a restricted free agent. After his step up in production and the show he put on in his first playoff game, teams will look at him as a core piece and pay him accordingly.