Under immense pressure to win right away, Rob Pelinka has set some high expectations for Austin Reaves heading into next season. Well, he believes the shooting guard has the potential to achieve superstar status and could even make a Jalen Brunson-level jump! But how has the 26-year-old gained the GM’s trust to this extent? The Purple and Gold stakeholder revealed the reason behind his bold prediction on the hooper, who even JJ Redick deemed, is “excellent”.

Expressing his faith in AR, Pelinka said, “Seeing Austin in some of these scrimmages, like his confidence with the ball, is something that has really stood out and I’m excited for our fans to see that.” While Rob claimed that he does not like comparing players, he did address Reaves’ potential evolution trajectory as a player within the Purple and Gold ranks.

“You look at like a great player like a Jalen Brunson and the jump he had from his Dallas days to New York. Is there that delta? I’m not trying to put expectations like that on Austin Reaves, but you can see players develop in big ways throughout their career, and I’m gonna put my tokens down on Austin Reaves to do that,” Pelinka continued.

Then, the GM based his claim on ESPN LA on two factors: “(1) The work he puts in and (2) just his fabric and nature.” While the Jalen Brunson comparison puts massive responsibility on Austin Reaves’ young shoulders, he has exceeded expectations in the past. When Rob Pelinka’s Russell Westbrook experiment failed and he decided to go a different route, the 26-year-old stepped up to the occasion and was key in the Lakers’ shocking turnaround and run to the Conference Finals.

Averaging 13 points as a sophomore, the hooper bagged himself a four-year $54 million deal because of his potential on display. Sure enough, it proved that the kid had an insane work ethic and a will to win. “He’s an incredibly tough person and an incredible competitor and those things tend to elevate guys throughout their career,” the GM added. But AR might need to overcome and strengthen a major weakness, or rather an undeveloped facet of his game, to live up to Pelinka’s high expectations…

JJ Redick has ‘challenged’ Austin Reaves to improve ONE key skill

While Rob Pelinka sang praises of Reaves’ offensive prowess and superstar potential, he revealed that there is one major challenge the shooting guard is currently facing. His defense! Yes, there were times during last season when AR looked overexerted on the court because of the grueling schedule. And the Lakers’ GM claimed that head coach JJ Redick did not pull any punches while talking to Reaves about it, “He has been very direct with Austin in particular, like ‘I need you to be a great defender.’”

Sure, Austin Reaves has shown in the past that he can occasionally get in front of his opponents and take charges. But he needs to do that consistently and be an anchor on defense. Moreover, even JJ Redick has talked about his expectations from the shooting guard. “He’s gotta get in better condition. He’s gotta be able to move more, and based on our early conversations, he’s bought into that.”

And Rob Pelinka claimed that the hooper has willingly nodded to work on his game, “I think Austin wants to take on that challenge of becoming better on the defensive end.” Surely, that will help him be a better all-around player and hopefully impact winning as Jalen Brunson has done in New York. Do you think he can take that next step and turn into a superstar?

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.