One Austin Reaves stat illustrates how bad his defense has been

While Austin Reaves has developed into a borderline All-Star-caliber player for the Los Angeles Lakers , his flaws remain obvious. He lacks footspeed and athleticism by NBA standards, and he remains a below-average defender, especially against certain types of players. In Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday, he was targeted — a lot — when he was on defense.

The defending world champions often made him look as stationary as the Statue of Liberty, and it was a significant factor in their 131-108 win that put Los Angeles one loss away from playoff elimination. How bad was Reaves defensively in Game 3? Law Murray of The Athletic pointed out one stat that was ugly.

"NBA Advanced Stats credits the Thunder for scoring on 17 of 22 field goal attempts in Game 3 on shots defended by Austin Reaves," Murray wrote on X (formerly Twitter). NBA Advanced Stats credits the Thunder for scoring on 17 of 22 field goal attempts in Game 3 on shots defended by Austin Reaves https://t. co/0iGgnjqZsz — Law Murray 🏴‍☠️ (@LawMurrayTheNU) May 10, 2026 There is an old saying that time will either promote or expose people.

Right now, Reaves' weaknesses are being exposed, and this is something that opponents have been doing for the last two or three years. More and more Lakers fans are starting to clamor for the team to trade him this offseason (he's expected to opt out of his contract and become a free agent) for a player or players who are more balanced and productive on both ends of the floor. The Arkansas native will have at least one more opportunity to prove his doubters wrong when the Lakers look to stave off elimination in Game 4 against the Thunder on Monday.