Penn State Basketball: Josh Reaves NBA Draft Profile

Strengths:

Defensive Instincts: 

Out of all the guards in this year’s NBA Draft, Josh Reaves ranks near the top in defensive instincts. He was the 2018-19 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year for a reason. This is Reaves’ biggest strength, and the trait that will get him drafted if he does hear his name called on Thursday night.

In Reaves’ last three seasons as a Nittany Lion, he averaged over 2.0 steals per game, including a career-high 2.5 steals per game this past season. He also averaged 1.0 blocks per game this past season.

What’s so impressive about Reaves is his ability to get so many of these steals by intercepting passes, or just batting down passes with his quick reaction time.

This was one of the better Josh Reaves plays this season. As the game is on the line, Reaves realizes that the point guard picks up his dribble and almost immediately jumps to bat down the pass. He was positioned perfectly to make that play, knowing where the Ohio State player was behind him, and also knowing he had two other teammates near half court in case the pass ends up going that way.

Reaves not only bats the pass down but immediately grabs the ball and explodes to the basket for a quick dunk.

It’s clear that if Josh Reaves makes it in the NBA, it’ll be because of plays like these. His ability to manufacture steals and turn them into points in transition is his biggest strength. He can come in off the bench, make a few plays like that and change the whole momentum of the game. That’s his game.

Here’s just one more amazing Reaves steal.

Athleticism/Speed:

We saw a glimpse at Josh Reaves’ athleticism is some of the past few clips. Not only does Reaves use his leaping ability and speed on defensive to force turnovers, but his athleticism has helped him on the offensive end as well, whether it’s breaking away from the defender in transition, or just dunking over someone.

In a league that’s trending more and more towards athleticism, Reaves would definitely fit in in that sense. His athleticism will also help him to defend players that are a bit bigger than. Reaves doesn’t have tremendous size, as he is a 6’4″ 2-guard, so that speed and athleticism will help make up for it.

Slashing Ability:

Josh Reaves may not create shots for himself on the ball, but many of his college points were scored from knowing where and when to move off the ball. His speed allows him to get open when cutting to the basket as well.

In the case of this clip from the 2018 Big Ten Tournament, his cut won them the game.

As Tony Carr is dribbling the ball, you see Josh Reaves watching his defender to see if he cheats towards the ball. As soon as the defender appears to get complacent and has his eyes fixated on Carr, Reaves breaks to the hoop for the easy dunk.

It takes a high basketball IQ and athletic ability to be an effective slasher, and Reaves has both of those traits.

Passing:

Throughout his college career, Reaves set up scoring opportunities for the team with his passing, which was very good. He had his signature move where he’d drive into the paint with his dominant (left) hand and then dish it off to the cutting big when the defensive help came. You can see that in the clip below.

Reaves did average 3.1 and 2.9 assists per game the last season seasons, respectively. Let’s also not forget this ridiculous full-court pass he made against Ohio State during the 2017-18 season.