JJ Redick didn't know Austin Reaves was good for the Lakers

It's easy to assess that Austin Reaves is good at basketball. How good he is and at what point there can be differences of opinion between Lakers fans and basketball fans.

The last year has been up and down for Reaves. His slow start resulted in him being benched and struggling to return to his original role as a starter.

This season, JJ Redick named Reaves to the starting five before the start of the year and he hit the ground running. The Lakers opened the season with three wins and Reaves was outstanding, averaging 18 points, 6.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game.

Of course, this is a small sample size, but these numbers would lead to Reaves having a career year and cementing him as the best guard on the team.

Reaves' best game to date came in a 123-116 win against the Phoenix Suns. He shot an efficient 8-12 from the field and hit five 3-pointers. His offensive explosion in the second half helped him secure a comeback win. After the game, Redick shared how impressed he was with the performance.

Lakers fans insist that their players are fantastic, and people scoffing at that notion is a story as old as time.

Alex Caruso, Kyle Kuzma and Ivica Zubac are just a few names that come to mind as players who were hyped by fans and who not only met those expectations, but years later exceeded them.

I'm sure fans from other fan bases overvalue their players too, but the Lakers have shown an uncanny ability to hit on their late draft picks and undrafted players since 2016.

So when fans have seen a young prospect excel and are vocal about it, they're usually right.

Now that Redick is no longer in charge of the media and is too focused on the Lakers as head coach, he can witness firsthand the value and impact that Reaves brings.

He's gone from Lakers cause to purple and gold sicko, and if you do that quickly, you'll realize that Reaves is the best guard on the team and nowhere near its best players.

With a coach who recognizes his value, the improvement in his game and the growth of the Lakers, it's exciting to imagine where Reaves will be in a few months, let alone a year or two.

Reaves just has to keep playing like he has been and everything should fall into place so that he can have his best season yet.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.