Emmanuel Acho backs the Lakers’ decision to lock up Austin Reaves for four years and $185 million, but he draws a sharp line between Reaves as a regular-season No. 2 and what he becomes when playoff defenses tighten.
Austin Reaves getting a max-level extension didn’t just land as a contract headline in Los Angeles—it landed with an asterisk for Emmanuel Acho.
The Speakeasy host weighed in after reports that Reaves agreed to a four-year. $185 million maximum contract to stay with the Lakers. Reaves made his own move toward that deal by declining his $14.9 million player option. opening the door for the new number. For Acho, the “yes” comes with conditions.
He framed the signing as unavoidable. “The Lakers HAD TO sign Austin Reaves, but come playoff time you CANNOT trust Austin Reaves to be your playoff #2!” he wrote in response to the contract reports.
Acho’s reasoning was grounded in what the Lakers need day-to-day. With LeBron James past his prime. Los Angeles requires a dependable scorer who can hold down the third spot and produce around 19 points per game. Acho pointed to how Reaves’ role expands when the stars sit—when Luka Doncic or James is out. Reaves bumps closer to 24 a night. In Acho’s view. that kind of output is tied to the kind of floor the Lakers need to reach 48-plus wins and secure a playoff berth.
But when the postseason arrives, Acho’s confidence disappears. He said Lakers fans already know the pattern: “Come playoff time. you can’t trust Austin Reaves to be your number two.” In his view. Reaves shrinks once opponents tighten up and game-plan specifically for him. Acho argued the reason is simple — Reaves lacks the offensive athleticism to beat elite defenders who are prepared for him.
The criticism isn’t just opinion. Acho pointed to what happened in the Lakers’ second-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Reaves opened that series with 8 points on 3-of-16 shooting—described as the worst postseason shooting night by a Laker in more than 30 years. He answered later in the series with a 31-point effort and a 27-point effort. but Los Angeles still bowed out in the second round.
Acho’s conclusion draws a clean hierarchy: he called Reaves a true number three and a very good regular-season number two. What he would not do was place Reaves in the same tier as championship-level second options like Jamal Murray, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jayson Tatum, or Jaylen Brown.
It isn’t that Acho thinks the deal is wrong. He’s saying the Lakers are betting big on two different things at once—paying a player like Reaves, and trusting what he becomes when games matter most.
Lakers Austin Reaves Emmanuel Acho Speakeasy contract extension $185 million $14.9 million player option playoffs Oklahoma City Thunder LeBron James Luka Doncic