"If my top two guys are those guys" - Nick Wright picks Austin Reaves over Bradley Beal for his hypothetical title-winning squad

Austin Reaves' play last season, and during this summer, has continued to make him one of the most talked about young players in the league. After not only making impressive strides in his game last season, but also shining in the playoffs, Reaves entered the offseason as a big free-agency target.

Despite drawing attention from plenty of teams, Rob Pelinka and the Lakers re-signed Reaves to a $53 million contract.

After re-signing with the LA Lakers, he then joined Team USA for the FIBA World Cup. Although the squad came up short in their goal of winning a gold medal, Reaves' play continued to leave fans and analysts impressed.

Longtime analyst Nick Wright has been so impressed with Reaves that he believes when building a championship roster, Austin Reaves is a better third option than Bradley Beal. While speaking on a recent episode of First Things First this morning, Wright shared his thoughts on the hypothetical:

“Let me be very clear: I think if you’re trying to win a championship, I would rather have as my third guy Austin Reaves and the things he does, than Bradley Beal, if my top two guys are those guys.”

Austin Reaves earns praise from another veteran analyst who compares him to Hall of Famer

Austin Reaves' play last season saw the young guard nearly double his averages from the year before. In the scoring department, Reaves took his average from 7.3 points per game to 13.0 ppg during the regular season, and then 16.9 ppg in the playoffs.

Similarly, his assist numbers went from 1.8 assists per game his rookie year, to 3.4 apg last season and 4.6 apg in the postseason. It was the same for Austin Reaves' three-point percentage as well, going from 31.7% his rookie year to 38.3% last season, and then 44.3% in the playoffs.

With impressive efficiency numbers, Bill Simmons had some high praise for Reaves while speaking in an episode of his podcast this week.

"There's a Ginobili, I think, kind of ceiling for him as a really, really crafty, creative offensive guard who's not afraid of the moment, who seems like he gets better whatever stage he's in."

With Beal looking to capture a championship in Phoenix, and Reaves eager to make another postseason run with the Lakers, the two teams could collide in the playoffs. First, the two teams will meet during the regular season, once on October 26th, and again on November 10th.