Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic have long been rumored to be at the forefront of the looming makeover for the Los Angeles Lakers. Games like the one on Sunday afternoon show exactly why the franchise has such firm belief in these two as the centerpieces of the team moving forward.
The dynamic duo of Doncic and Reaves led the Lakers to a decisive 110-97 victory over the New York Knicks sans LeBron James. Luka finished as a strong leading act with 35 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals. AR15 had his aggression back, scoring 25 points in support, while adding five assists, four rebounds, three steals, and one block.
Winning against tough competition is something the Lakers have struggled to do in 2025-26. They are only 14-18 against teams above .500 following their latest outing. This one was never in doubt, and helped minimize similar thoughts of that nature for the long-term outlook in Los Angeles.
The messaging from the rumor mill continues to suggest this team will get remolded around Doncic and Reaves in the summer. If the results can be this good when the supporting cast is still lacking, they can be great when the pieces fit around them at a much higher level.
Lakers' retool around Doncic and Reaves should yield the results they crave
"It's just great being his teammate," Doncic said of Reaves after the win. "Obviously, he needs to be aggressive like this, but just playing with him is so easy because he draws so much attention. It helps others too. So, just playing with him, it makes my life easy."
What has always been clear of this duo is they share excellent chemistry and clearly like each other. That can go a long way. Teams that enjoy playing with one another and fit well can often outperform the sum of their parts. The 2024-25 Indiana Pacers can be looked to as a great example of that.
That group came within one unfortunate Tyrese Haliburton injury of potentially sneaking away with last year's NBA championship. The Lakers will be looking to take it one step further.
Getting a reliable two-way center and competent 3-and-D players in to support Doncic and Reaves during the upcoming summer will be top priority for Rob Pelinka's front office. If that can be sufficiently executed, Lakers fans can start dreaming of what comes next.
Building a championship team is never easy. Having to do so with free agency as the main vehicle in this CBA climate will present an even bigger challenge. At the very least, comfort can be found in knowing two of the most important boxes on the roster are already checked.