“Google Pistol Pete, that’s him” - Showtime Lakers legend makes bold Austin Reaves comparison 

Austin Reaves has settled nicely into his role as the tertiary scorer on a LA Lakers squad that figures to play a big part in this year's postseason. The undrafted guard has earned high praise from his Lakers teammates and coaches, but a former Laker legend is the latest to come forward and give Reaves his flowers.

Austin Reaves spent five years in college; two with Wichita State, one in the transfer portal and two with Oklahoma. However, his play wasn't good enough to get him drafted in 2021.

However, four years into his career has the Lakers guard getting recognized by James Worthy, one of the key members of the Showtime Lakers. Worthy played with the Lakers for 12 years, winning three championships.

After Reaves scored 22 points in the Lakers' win over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night, Worthy had high praise for the young Laker. To him, Reaves is very reminiscent of "Pistol Pete" Maravich.

"I'm telling you people. Google Pistol Pete," Worthy told reporters about Reaves. "That's him."

Worthy's endorsement of Austin Reaves continues to show the faith that the Lakers organization and their fans have in the young guard as the team begins to look toward the future.

How important is Austin Reaves to the Lakers?

Austin Reaves might not carry the same weight or command as much attention as his superstar teammates LeBron James and Luka Doncic do, but he has become a key piece to head coach J.J. Redick's rotation.

Reaves is averaging 19.6 points and 6.0 assists in 61 games, while also shooting 36.4% from 3-point range on 7.2 attempts per contest.

Reaves has been a consistent source of scoring for LA this season, as he and rookie Dalton Knecht are the only players who have appeared in more than 60 games for the Lakers. With the playoffs looming, Reaves' offensive prowess becomes all the more crucial to a team looking to make the most of the last few years of James' career.

Austin Reaves might not be the pure scorer that Pete Maravich was, but if he can maintain or even boost his scoring in the playoffs, the Lakers have as good a chance as anyone to represent the Western Conference in this year's NBA Finals.

Looking forward, the Lakers might have their backcourt of the future in Doncic and Reaves already on their roster and playing well.