Austin Reaves' fondness of LeBron James has been abundantly clear over the years. The rise of the Los Angeles Lakers guard from undrafted rookie to star player was all done in the presence of the all-time great. James was more than just a presence, though. LeBron was a guiding hand.
In an interview with SLAM online in February, Reaves highlighted James as one of the two Lakers who really helped him grow and become the player he is today. The other was Rajon Rondo, for anyone who was curious. Rondo retired from playing a long time ago, leaving AR behind. LeBron's coming departure from Los Angeles will leave Austin without either.
Reaves told Dave McMenamin and reporters recently: "I don't know if I've honestly processed it yet. ... Starting a season without him being on the team is going to be different for me. That's kind of all I've ever known is him being around. ... I've got nothing but love and respect for him."
The silver lining for Reaves is the added offensive freedom that James' departure creates. There is no more competition for the role of second star behind Luka Doncic. There is no more trying to avoid stepping on someone's shoes. The Lakers guard has an unquestionable green light moving forward.
Austin Reaves can finally spread his offensive wings for the Lakers
This is not an argument of the Lakers being better off without James. Let us not mix that up with the message here. For Reaves, this is simply about flourishing with the added offensive opportunity that not sharing a basketball court with LeBron creates.
Last year was already the 28-year-old's best season in the NBA. Reaves averaged a career-high 23.3 points per game with shooting splits of 49-36-87. However, whenever you are sharing the court with players you like, and even admire, it can always be tough to truly call each other out when it is necessary, or assert yourself at the expense of the counterpart.
That worry for Reaves is gone.
There is a new pecking order in Los Angeles. Instead of the offense flowing through the three stars tugging at the rope, there should be a more balanced approach with Doncic and Reaves taking precedence before sprinkling the opportunities to everyone else.
Reaves played in 16 games without James in 2025-26. The Lakers star averaged 28.4 points, 7.8 assists, and 4.8 rebounds.
Higher-usage Reaves will be here to stay this time around. The result of that could be the most productive season of his career to date. Given their relationship over the years, one can only imagine James will look on proudly from a distance.
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