When the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks, questions quickly arose about what it meant for Austin Reaves. Reaves had been the Lakers' starting point guard in 2024-25, putting forth a career-year and seemingly taking a step toward stardom.
It's still early in their partnership, but Doncic's arrival in Los Angeles doesn't seem to have stifled Reaves in the way some had anticipated.
Doncic and Reaves may very well form the backcourt of the future for the Lakers. They're two of the most productive guards in the NBA, with Doncic setting the standard as the reigning scoring champion, and Reaves inching closer to All-Star status.
There are rational concerns, however, over how two guards who aren't necessarily known for their defense will manage to coexist.
Thankfully, the early return on this investment has been nothing short of riveting. Reaves has thrived alongside Doncic. as well as during the games that the superstar has missed early in his Lakers tenure, thus providing ample reason for optimism.
During Los Angeles' most recent outing, a long-awaited win over the Denver Nuggets, optimism became something more tangible when Doncic and Reaves helped the Lakers secure a win that was years in the making.
Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves proving compatible early in Lakers tenure
Entering the Lakers' recent clash with the Nuggets, the feud between the two sides barely qualified as a rivalry. Denver had won 13 of the previous 14 games, including every regular-season encounter since the calendar turned over to 2023.
Doncic put an end to that abysmal trend, leading the Lakers to a 123-100 decimation of the Nuggets that had the NBA buzzing.
Doncic went off, pouring in 32 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, four steals, and a block in his best performance as a Laker. He was one of four starters to score at least 20 points, which may be the biggest talking point of all.
Doncic, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James, and Reaves all finished with at least 20 points, with the latter standing out in mutliple respects.
Reaves finished with 23 points, shooting 7-of-13 from the field, 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, and 5-of-6 at the charity stripe. He also dished out seven assists while committing just two turnovers, thus tying Doncic for the team lead in dimes.
Reaves is now averaging 21.3 points, 7.3 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 2.5 three-point field goals made on .451/.367/.901 shooting in 26 games since Christmas Day.
Thankfully, rather than struggling alongside two ball-dominant teammates in Doncic and James, Reaves is sustaining his remarkable quality of play. He's also sprinkled in dominant showings when Doncic has been out of the lineup, dropping 45 points on Feb. 8 and 32 on Feb. 20.
It's too soon for a standard to have been officially set, but in the early weeks of the Doncic and Reaves pairing, the Lakers appear to be in good hands.