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NBA fans are comparing the LA Lakers' Austin Reaves to Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers.
Purdy's coming off another great performance on Sunday, helping the 49ers dispose of the Dallas Cowboys at Levi's Stadium. Reaves, meanwhile, is fresh off his breakout season in just his second year in the NBA.
Social media was buzzing due to Purdy's dominance on Sunday's game, throwing four touchdowns in the 49ers' 42-10 win. People began asking who's the 23-year-old quarterback's NBA comparison. The common answer, mostly by hoops fans, was Reaves.
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"Probably Austin Reeves," one fan wrote.
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It's a valid comparison because of their path to stardom. Brock Purdy was Mr. Irrelevant of the 2022 NFL Draft, which meant that he was the last pick. Meanwhile, Austin Reaves went undrafted in 2021 before making some noise as a rookie for the LA Lakers.
Purdy became the San Francisco 49ers' starting quarterback after Jimmy Garoppolo had suffered a foot injury late in the season. He ended up starting five games for the rest of his rookie year and headed into the playoffs as a starter. He led the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game but lost to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Meanwhile, Reaves had a productive season as a role player in his first year in the NBA. He had his breakout campaign last season and was vital in the Lakers' run to the Western Conference finals that ended against eventual champions Denver Nuggets. Reaves went on to sign a four-year, $54 million deal with the Lakers.
Purdy and Reaves are also similar in a way due to finally coming into their own following a star's departure. The 49ers traded Jimmy Garoppolo in the offseason, with Purdy 5-0 as a starter this year. Reaves, meanwhile, didn't play his best until the Lakers decided to part ways with Russell Westbrook.
On that note, here are other answers to who's the NBA equivalent of Brock Purdy:
Skip Bayless also compared Brock Purdy to Austin Reaves
Fox Sports' top analyst Skip Bayless also saw Austin Reaves in Brock Purdy, explaining his reasons for it in an episode of "Undisputed" on the final day of August.
"I've never seen anything like the Austin Reaves in college and what he turned into in pro basketball," Bayless said.
"It's like (Purdy), where I watched him a lot at Iowa State and saw none of this that I saw last year in San Francisco. … Austin Reaves at Oklahoma, I watched a majority of his games because I am a Sooner fan."
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