NBA superstars aren't always the vocal leaders of their teams. Take Luka Doncic and LeBron James as examples. Both were the biggest names on the Los Angeles Lakers over the last couple of seasons, but they both tended to lead by example more often than with their words. And that's okay ... their games do a lot of talking.
It's also okay because the Lakers have another star who's been playing the role of vocal leader: Austin Reaves. That's right -- Reaves is the one most likely to pull teammates aside and chat, or talk with assistant coaches after practice, or develop a bond with guys at the end of the bench.
Perhaps it's Reaves' personality that makes him best suited to communicate in this fashion; perhaps it's his variety of experiences at the NBA level. He knows what it's like to be undrafted, written off, a bench player, a starter, and now a max player. That's pretty much the whole spectrum of the NBA experience. This allows Reaves to relate to every guy on a team much easier than Doncic or James, who have virtually been superstar phenoms their entire careers.
This might be Luka Doncic's team, but Austin Reaves is the Lakers' vocal leader
This isn't just conjecture about Reaves' vocal leadership, by the way. Lakers insider Dan Woike has testified to this. In a recent AMA with fans on Reddit, here's what Woike had to say on the topic:
"We're going on year two or so of Austin Reaves being the most vocal leader. Luka Dončić is pretty quiet, LeBron James is way more of a lead-by-example player. And even before the Luka deal, Reaves was the guy who had bridged the gap between the back of the bench, the team's stars and the coaches. He was the most approachable and has been a critical behind-the-scenes presence."
Let's not minimize Doncic's leadership, either. He clearly leads by example and by gesture. For example, Luka's proactiveness in organizing a trip to Slovenia for the entire Lakers team this offseason was an example of sublime leadership.
We know that Doncic is somewhat of a killer on the basketball court. One might even describe his communication style with teammates (and officials!) as more confrontational than conversational when he's in the heat of battle. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Michael Jordan was like this.
And by Reaves communicating differently (perhaps more conversational, relatable, and behind the scenes in 1-on-1 discussions), it makes AR a nice complement to Doncic as the dual-leaders of the club. Jake LaRavia is among the current Lakers who have talked about Doncic and Reaves' complementary leadership styles.
The main point in all of this is that Luka and AR are both leaders ... meaning that not one guy has to carry the full burden of responsibility. Neither player is shying away from leading, which is a healthy thing coming from your two best players. It's like having two captains who are very different from one another, but also locked into the same goal. The Lakers are in good hands.
Add us as a preferred source on Google