NBA Awards Rankings: New No. 1 in Sixth Man of the Year race

At this point, it's impossible to guess what Darvin Ham will do with the Lakers' lineup going forward. Austin Reaves moved back to the starting five on Wednesday. He's good enough to start, and the fit is strong — especially if D'Angelo Russell continues to come off the bench. So, that being said, Reaves might not be "eligible" for this particular award next time we do these rankings. He should be a starter.

Even so, Reaves has spent the last couple months as Los Angeles' sixth man, with great success. There's a case to be made that he should maintain that role. With Ham's erratic decision-making, we simply don't have enough info to exclude Reaves yet. He is the current betting favorite, too, for what it's worth.

Reaves is averaging 15.3 points and 5.0 assists on .481/.356/.878 splits in 29.6 minutes for Los Angeles. The Lakers run plenty through LeBron James and D'Lo, but there's still a heavy reliance on Reaves' ability to penetrate the defense and create off drives to the rim. He is a bonafide backup point guard, capable of generating advantages with crafty handles and well-timed bursts of speed before firing pinpoint passes on the move. Reaves doesn't commit many turnovers (2.3 per game) and he is Los Angeles' No. 3 scorer, despite the inconsistency of his role.

It's fair to knock Reaves for his defense, as well as the Lakers' lack of team success. Los Angeles has lost eight of its last 10, including three straight to drop below .500 on the season. The Lakers have a lot to work out. It could start with a change at head coach, as multiple players have voiced frustrations about Ham's constant lineup shuffling. Despite it all, however, Reaves is right in the thick of the Sixth Man of the Year race, so long as he remains a sixth man.