Austin Reaves failed LeBron and Lakers and he’s living in La-La land if he thinks he’s worth $240m

Austin Reaves isn’t even supposed to be here.

He was undrafted after bouncing from Wichita State to Oklahoma, and didn’t start a game during his freshman college season.

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Buyer beware with Austin Reaves

So the fifth-year Los Angeles Lakers guard has already proven a legion of experts, scouts, coaches, recruiters and critics wrong.

But that doesn’t give Reaves a pass when he barely hits a shot in a Western Conference semifinal Game 1 blowout loss to the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

It’s also a reminder that the 27-year-old Reaves isn’t worth a massive free-agency contract that could approach $240 million.

That’s an absurd amount of cash — even in the modern NBA — for a shoot-first guard who, at best, is a No. 2 player on a team that needs a superstar just to make the playoffs.

Reaves was the worst shooter on the floor on Tuesday night, only connecting on 3 of his 16 field-goal attempts and missing all five of his 3-pointers.

Throw in a team-high four turnovers and a minus-10 point differential in 36 minutes of action, and Reaves was exposed on the hardwood on a night when reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was human-like.

SGA still recorded 18 points, six assists, three rebounds, two blocks and steal, while the Thunder turned a 61-53 halftime advantage into a 108-90 opening statement.

They are still the champs and rolling through another postseason, even when SGA turns the ball over seven times.

LeBron James can’t do it all by himself

OKC has the roster depth, overall talent and young star power to push aside the Lakers, who are only in the playoffs because LeBron James has been playing 10 years younger than his 41-year-old body should allow.

On a night when Reaves was supposed to remind 29 other NBA teams of his looming free-agent value, he was the weakest member of Los Angeles’ starting five and one-dimensional in Game 1.

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“I mean obviously the easy thing is to make more shots,” Reaves said.

“I got to my spots multiple times and just missed a couple of easy shots. But for the most part, you got to limit the turnovers. They pressure the ball really well, just got to give us an opportunity to get a shot on goal every possession.”

The court tightens in the playoffs, defense intensifies and huge names including James Harden have spent years learning what separates the greats from the rest.

Reaves produced a career season with 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists, then missed a month of action with an oblique strain.

Reaves must bounce back in Game 2

But look at James carrying the Lakers vs the timid Rockets and then compare The King at 41 to Reaves, who’s only connected on 30 percent of his shots and 12 percent of his 3s since being activated for Game 5 vs Houston.

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It’s two different NBA worlds.

Someone in The Association will be tempted to give Reaves a ton of cash this summer.

That franchise should remember the Lakers’ Game 1 blowout loss to the Thunder and Reaves’ horrid 3-for-16 shooting night.

He’s a good NBA shooting guard who’s already better than he was supposed to be.

But if Reaves deserves $240 million in free agency, James is worth at least $1 billion to the Lakers.

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