"Charles Barkley was right": NBA fans at odds as Shannon Sharpe crowns Lakers' Austin Reaves as NBA's best third option

LA Lakers guard Austin Reaves has elevated his status this season, going from an undrafted free agent to a key contributor for the team. Former NFL tight end Shannon Sharpe went a step further during Monday's episode of ESPN's "First Take."

"Austin Reaves is the best third-option in the entire NBA," Sharpe said.

Sharpe's comment has caused a frenzy on social media. It divided fans on X, with one user recanting NBA legend Charles Barkley's earlier statement about the Lakers.

"I am once again repeating, Charles Barkley was right on saying that the Lakers playing well really saved ESPN because they have nothing else to talk about," a fan tweeted.

Some didn't agree with Sharpe's assessment.

"He’s not better than Chet or J dub pick ur poison who you call the 3rd option on the thunder," another fan tweeted.

"The entire starting 5 is better than Austin Reaves, so how can he be 'the best third-option in the entire NBA'? Porzingis, White and Holiday are all better than Austin Reaves...," one fan wrote.

"Who did they play .. that’s right a spurs team that’s missing Wemby and Fox," a fan commented.

However, others supported it.

"SAS was right up until the end. Reaves been doing this since December. It’s not just a random game vs the Spurs. Reaves is an all star caliber player. Don’t bother responding with Reaves hate if you don’t know what “caliber” means," one fan tweeted.

"People still overlooking Reaves but cool … keep underestimating the Lakers & him," a fan wrote.

Reaves has been excellent for the Lakers in his fourth season. He is averaging 19.6 points per game, a huge improvement from the 15.9 he averaged during the 2023-24 campaign.

Since the All-Star break, he has averaged 21.2 points, 5.1 assists and 4.6 rebounds on 44/39/90 shooting splits. Some notable performances from Reaves include a 30-point game against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday and a 28-point outing versus the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.

However, not everyone is sold on Reaves as the Lakers' third option, including an anonymous NBA scout who questioned his ability to lead a team to a championship. Nevertheless, he has maintained his value to the Lakers, combining effectively with Luka Doncic and stepping up in the absence of LeBron James.

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Austin Reaves impresses teammate Luka Doncic after 30-point game for Lakers in win against Spurs

The LA Lakers won their second consecutive game on Monday, defeating the San Antonio Spurs 125-109. Austin Reaves, who led the team with 30 points, impressed Luka Doncic, who heaped praise on his performance.

"I mean this guy just scored 30 in his fourth game in five days," Doncic said in the postgame presser. "That explains everything. He's an amazing player. For him to go undrafted is unbelievable. It's not easy to go undrafted and then play at this level. It's amazing just to be by his side."

Next up for the Lakers is a Wednesday matchup against the Denver Nuggets, scheduled for 9 p.m. ET at Crypto.com Arena.