Three ways former Shocker Austin Reaves’ game changed since joining the Oklahoma Sooners
On its own, the men’s basketball showdown 5 p.m. Saturday at Intrust Bank Arena between Wichita State (8-1) and Oklahoma (7-1) is a tantalizing matchup between two NCAA Tournament hopefuls.
But this contest becomes even juicier because OU’s leading scorer at 17.6 points per game is Austin Reaves, the same player who started his career at WSU and was a key role player for the Shockers from 2016-18 before transferring to the Sooners.
Reaves was vague with his reasoning for transferring, citing a better basketball situation with the Sooners, but that left many WSU fans confused considering he would have been the centerpiece for WSU’s rebuilding efforts in the 2017-18 season.
He figures to be a polarizing figure for Shocker fans on Saturday. Some will cheer a former Shocker having success, while others might boo him. Reaves told the OU Daily that he is aware that his reception on Saturday might not all be positive.
“I’m sure there will be a mixture of both,” Reaves said to the student newspaper. “I’ve already got a couple DMs on Instagram telling me good luck and stuff so I’m not thinking it’s gonna be all bad, but I’m sure there’s gonna be some.”
Even WSU coach Gregg Marshall admitted scouting this week was “a little odd” preparing for a player he once recruited. Marshall noted that Reaves was the first player in his 22 years as a head coach who transferred that “we did not want to transfer.”
“He’s on their team, he’s wearing their colors now,” Marshall said. “He’s the opposition.”
But for WSU fans who haven’t caught an OU game this season, Reaves is not the same player he was for the Shockers. He’s no longer just a three-point assassin; Reaves has blossomed into a legitimate No. 1 scoring threat for a good team. Here are three ways he’s transformed his game since leaving Wichita.
1. Reaves is attacking more than ever
The stat that really shows how much different of a player Reaves is for the Sooners is his free throws attempted this season.
Reaves has already shot 48 free throws (6.0 per game) through eight games for OU, which is just four off his total of 52 (1.7 per game) that he shot his sophomore year (33 games) at WSU. Reaves is on track to shoot 186 free throws this season, a stunning increase of more than 250% than his last season played.
Reaves has certainly changed his mindset with the Sooners and it also helps that he has bulked up to 202 pounds (up from the 174 playing weight he had with WSU) this season.
The difference has been Reaves drawing a career-best 5.5 fouls per game and career-best free throw rate of 47.5%, both figures nearly double what he posted at WSU in his last season.
Reaves looks so much more comfortable and confident on the ball. He has a quicker step than many defenders expect and now he’s added the strength to not be knocked off course by bigger defenders. Now if defenders beat him to his spot, Reaves is crafty enough with his handles to turn directions and is now equipped with the strength to finish at the rim.
WSU is sure to throw several different defenders at Reaves and they will all have to be disciplined in their defending. Just because you cut off Reaves one time doesn’t mean you have stopped him from using his 6-foot-5 frame to still get to the basket.
Reaves made a big leap from his freshman to sophomore year at WSU driving to the rim (he finished at a 70% clip at the rim in 2017-18), but he was still only taking 14% of his total shots at the rim. That shot selection has increased to 25% this year with the Sooners, as Reaves is still making an above-average 64% of those shots.
Reaves always had this ability at WSU, but he had to play his role on a senior-laden squad that also had an NBA player in Landry Shamet running the point. Now that Reaves is on the ball much more, he’s playing more like the high school scoring king he was back home in Arkansas.
There were glimpses of these slick moves that are now on display in Reaves’ game during his time at WSU, but he didn’t have the confidence, added weight or the ball in his hands the way that he does now at OU.
The chess match on Saturday will be how WSU’s defense guards OU’s big men who can also shoot outside. The Sooners will likely try to pull WSU’s centers away from the basket, opening up driving lanes for Reaves and keeping WSU’s shot-blockers away from the rim. Or will WSU’s wealth of wing defenders wear Reaves down and not allow him to make it to the basket?
2. Reaves is OU’s go-to pick and roll creator
Reaves served as a secondary play-maker for WSU in the pick and roll, as he ranked third (1.6 per game) on the 2017-18 team behind Landry Shamet and Conner Frankamp for ball screens.
He showed a good feel passing out of the pick and roll to rollers or cutters, but Reaves really struggled with his shooting in off-the-dribble situations at WSU. He did, however, show a knack for dribbling into some wild (and clutch) threes for the Shockers that season.
Now that he is the primary play-maker for OU this season, Reaves seems to be playing more confidently in these situations. He’s using 5.4 ball screens per game (up from 1.6 at WSU) and his offense is up to 0.98 points per possession, per Synergy (up from 0.71 PPP at WSU).
I wouldn’t expect it to be a problem for WSU, but Reaves is torching defenses who go under screens on him. The way that WSU hedges screens and has the on-ball defender go over screens, that should eliminate those looks for Reaves. But here’s a peak at what he’s been doing this season.
And just like he was at WSU, Reaves is still very good at feeling out the defense when he takes the screen and identifying when the rolling big man has the advantage. Since WSU is almost sure to force Reaves pass out of the pick and roll, these types of plays could hurt the Shockers on Saturday if they don’t have the proper rotations.
3. Reaves is struggling without the catch-and-shoot looks he got at WSU
The first difference you notice in Reaves’ stats for OU and the stats he posted for WSU is his three-point shooting.
He was a career 45% three-point shooter for WSU and took more than two-thirds of his shots from beyond the arc in his two years for the Shockers.
This season Reaves’ three-point accuracy has plummeted to 31.8% and he’s actually taking more two-point shots (57) than three-pointers (44) for the Sooners.
Why the dramatic change?
Having the ball in his hands more has mostly benefited Reaves in his start with the Sooners, but there has been a significant drawback: lack of catch-and-shoot looks.
While playing off ball prevented Reaves from showcasing his play-making ability at WSU, it certainly unlocked him as a shooter. There’s no doubt Reaves benefited from playing alongside Shamet and all of the senior posts who commanded so much attention inside that gave Reaves so many of those prime looks from the three-point line. Reaves did well to move without the ball and get himself open along the perimeter, but it was certainly made easier by the talent WSU had all over the floor with him.
That led to a lot of spoon-fed looks for Reaves, who was outrageously efficient at WSU because he had so many looks on the most efficient shot in the game: catch-and-shoot threes. In his two years at WSU, Reaves scored 1.45 points per possession and drilled 48% on his catch-and-shoot looks, which almost certainly rank near the top in all of college basketball during that span.
Those efficient looks are harder to find now for Reaves, who spends most of his time initiating the offense for OU. That means he’s shooting more off the dribble, which isn’t as efficient for him. The Synergy numbers back that up, as Reaves has only taken 11 catch-and-shoot threes this season and he’s only made one of them.
But looking at some of the ones he’s missing, it would be playing with fire for WSU to allow Reaves to take looks like these:
But there’s no denying the quality of overall looks from three for Reaves has decreased this season, which has led to a decrease in his shooting percentage. It’s still early in the season and he’s too good of a shooter to let his percentages hover around in the low 30s. Reaves popped off for five triples against Oregon State earlier this season, so WSU can’t afford to let him repeat those numbers on Saturday.
This story was originally published December 14, 2019 at 6:14 AM.
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