Former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho understands why the Los Angeles Lakers locked up Austin Reaves for the next four years; he just is not sold on what the guard becomes when the games matter most.
The Speakeasy host weighed in after reports that Reaves agreed to a four-year, $185 million maximum contract to stay in Los Angeles. Reaves declined his $14.9 million player option to open the door for the new max. Acho gave the deal a qualified thumbs up, calling it a necessary move while flagging a real concern about the postseason.
"The Lakers HAD TO sign Austin Reaves, but come playoff time you CANNOT trust Austin Reaves to be your playoff #2!"
– @EmmanuelAcho responds to reports that Austin Reaves was offered a 4-year $185 million contract
WE ARE LIVE RIGHT NOW
https://t.co/71DOlQim57 pic.twitter.com/bScBV9Q4OG
— Speakeasy (@speakeasytlkshw) June 25, 2026
Acho framed the signing as something the Lakers had to do.
With LeBron James past his prime, Los Angeles needs a reliable scorer who can hold down the third spot and produce around 19 points per game. When Luka Doncic or James sits, Reaves bumps up closer to 24 a night, which Acho said helps guarantee the Lakers 48 plus wins and a playoff berth.
That is where the praise stops.
Acho pointed to a pattern Lakers fans already know well. “Come playoff time, you can’t trust Austin Reaves to be your number two,” he said.
In his view, Reaves tends to shrink once the postseason arrives and defenses lock in on him, since he lacks the offensive athleticism to beat elite defenders who game-plan specifically for him.
The numbers from this past spring give that take some teeth. Reaves opened the Lakers’ second-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder with 8 points on 3-of-16 shooting, the worst postseason shooting night by a Laker in more than 30 years. He answered with 31 and 27 point efforts later in the series, but Los Angeles still bowed out in the second round.
Acho called Reaves a true number three and a very good regular-season number two. He just would not put him in the tier of championship-level second options like Jamal Murray, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jayson Tatum, or Jaylen Brown.
Acho is not knocking the deal. He is just reminding everyone that paying a player like Reaves and trusting him in May are two different things, and the Lakers are betting big on both.
The post Emmanuel Acho likes Lakers star Austin Reaves’ extension, but there’s a catch appeared first on ClutchPoints.
