Austin Reaves thrived as an impact player for the Los Angeles Lakers over the past two seasons, but some felt he still had untapped potential that could be brought to light this season by new Lakers head coach JJ Redick.

He had a modest performance in the Lakers' season opener on Tuesday, going 6 of 14 overall and 0 of 5 from 3-point range. But on Friday, he scored 26 points on 8 of 12 field goal shooting and 5 of 7 from downtown, helping LA overcome a 22-point deficit and beat the Phoenix Suns 123-116.

Redick seemed to believe in Reaves before the season started. But he admitted after Friday's game that he “didn't know” the unoccupied guard was “that good.”

Although the Suns were in volcano mode for the first quarter and much of the second quarter, the Lakers actually outscored them 51.9% to 45.9% from long range in the game. Reaves was the main reason they won this category.

He may need to step up his game even more on Saturday night when LA hosts the Sacramento Kings, as it's possible that Anthony Davis or LeBron James, or possibly both, could take a break. But perhaps Redick now realizes that Reaves is capable of doing just that.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: JJ Redick's admission about Austin Reaves after Reaves' big game