Even oddsmakers are all-in on the Austin Reaves hype train.
Online sportsbook SportsBetting.ag released updated odds on Thursday for the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award for the 2023-24 season. The LA Lakers fan favorite Reaves is now favored to win the award with 7/1 odds.
Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges (15/2) and new Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole (8/1) are the next closest NBA players to Reaves on the list. SportsBetting.ag adds that Reaves had 14/1 odds when the MIP market first opened on July 20. He was behind Bridges and Poole at that point but now has surpassed both of them.
Reaves’ jump in odds is likely owed to his strong performance at the FIBA World Cup this summer. The 25-year-old swingman is holding his own off the bench for Team USA with 11.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 4.3 assists a game to help lead them to a perfect 3-0 start (with an average margin of victory of 34.3 points).
Austin Reaves. The elevation. 😳#FIBAWC x #WinForUSA pic.twitter.com/GJ6jRjy9tP
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 🏆 (@FIBAWC) August 30, 2023
Austin Reaves' confidence is on another level right now 👀👀 pic.twitter.com/BihFALuW7X
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) August 30, 2023
AUSTIN REAVES ON BOTH ENDS 😤
The roar in Manila‼️ pic.twitter.com/eTeRYZkrB2
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) August 28, 2023
When it comes to the Lakers though, it remains to be seen how much more Reaves can still grow. He already turned in a well-rounded 13-3-3 line on excellent percentages last season and still has to share ball-handling duties with LeBron James and D’Angelo Russell (on top of offseason additions like Gabe Vincent and Cam Reddish). But Reaves’ head coach recently offered an extremely bold prediction on the undrafted star, and it appears oddsmakers are similarly high on Reaves as well.
