Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Austin Reaves has been on something of a rollercoaster ride in 2025-26. He was thrust into the role of a No. 2 when LeBron James missed the Lakers' first 14 games and proceeded to spend the better part of the next four months either battling a calf injury or struggling to find the ideal dynamic between himself, James, and Luka Doncic.
James publicly accepted the No. 3 role on offense in mid-March, however, thus thrusting Reaves into a definitive role as the No. 2. After early struggles, he looks like he's figuring it all out.
Reaves entered the Mar. 27 clash with the Nets having recorded three rebounds between his previous two outings. Against Brooklyn, however, Los Angeles allowed 12 offensive rebounds—and Reaves responded by focusing his efforts on resolving that issue.
Reaves finished with eight rebounds, all on the defensive end of the floor, thus tying Luka Doncic and Jaxson Hayes for the game high. No one, however, had more defensive rebounds than Reaves.
It was a shining example of what Reaves has become as the Lakers' second option. He's not only putting up gaudy scoring numbers, but figuring out where the team needs him most on any given night and providing star-caliber value in those exact areas.
Compounded by the fact that he appears to have fixed his jump shot and is scoring like an All-Star, Reaves is every Western Conference team's worst nightmare right now.
Austin Reaves is figuring out exactly what Lakers need from him
James' aforementioned declaration of sacrifice was made on Mar. 13. A day later, Reaves dropped 32 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in what appeared to be a statement game as the Lakers defeated the Denver Nuggets 127-125 in overtime.
Reaves proceeded to average 15.7 points on .359/.167/.762 shooting over his next three games, however, thus leading to questions about if he had the right mentality for his new role.
Since then, Reaves has finished with at least 24 points and five assists in four consecutive games. That includes the 26 points and five assists he tallied against the Nets. He posted those exact numbers in a road win over the Orlando Magic, as well.
That's a rather significant combination of numbers, as the Lakers are now 15-3 when Reaves records at least 25 points and five assists.
Lakers have a dominant record when Austin Reaves is assertive
That record may sound unsustainble, but therein lies the reason Reaves is every contender's worst nightmare. When he scores with volume, the Lakers border on unstoppable and he's finally beginning to put the pieces together in terms of the ideal mentality.
For perspective: Los Angeles is currently 23-4 when Reaves scores at least 20 points—and he's now reached that plateau in eight of his past 11 games.
What this means for the rest of the NBA is that the Lakers' superstar duo of Doncic and James has a co-star who can torment defenses in his own right. More importantly, he can find ways to contribute that have nothing to do with scoring or facilitating by virtue of his willingness and ability to simply make the right plays when Los Angeles needs them.
If Reaves can continue to play at this level moving forward, then a Lakers team that's won seven of its past eight games against teams on pace to make the playoffs or Play-In will be able to compete with anyone.